


They're Game

by Ewrite



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: 2213, AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Clexa, Branding, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Instagram, League of Assassins video game, Sarcasm, Slow Burn, Social Media, The League of Assassins (DCU), Time Bureau (DC's Legends of Tomorrow), Time Bureau Gaming, Twitch - Freeform, Twitter, YouTube, competitive gamers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:53:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 92,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23757181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ewrite/pseuds/Ewrite
Summary: Sara and Ava are at the top of their game, literally. They are the social media managers for two successful video game companies: TB Gaming and Legends.When Ava decides to market TBG's 2213 as a direct competitor to League of Assassins, the number one game by Legends, she knows that she'll draw Sara's attention. The resulting brand animosity slowly shifts as both women realize that their dynamic could be so much more. Especially if they meet in person.Or the AU where Sara and Ava are competing social media brand managers and they maybe (absolutely) fall in love.
Relationships: Sara Lance & Ava Sharpe, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 247
Kudos: 397





	1. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is Ava's first day and she already has ideas to help the TB Gaming socials.  
> Meanwhile, Sara is going about her intentionally hectic day when she receives an email about TBG's new social media manager.

**Ava:**

The binder matches her dark blue pen. Ava Sharpe is calmed by this fact as her hand shifts over the page to note the number of people who have followed the various TB Gaming social media accounts since their inception. The numbers are stagnant. Sales figures show that the company has picked up new players, but they haven’t been brought in through Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, or any of the other sites that Bennett was running. Hell, even accounts run by one hit viral fools who then do nothing for two years maintain more momentum then these figures are showing.

Changing that should be simple enough.

“What do you know about TB Gaming, Miss Sharpe?” Rip Hunter smirks as he asks the question and Ava wonders, for a moment, if he’s one of those gamer guys who thinks that girls can’t be true fans.

“I know you’re a mid-sized gaming company that’s been around since the early 2000’s. Your sales numbers are generally fine, but there’s room for improvement. The social media posts have been bland for a while now, which is why you’ve brought me in. I’ve met Wilbur here on several occasions and I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that I think he’ll be much better suited to a position in sales.” Ava looks to her side and sees Bennett nod with an easy expression on his face. He’s told Ava that everyone knows he hates running the socials and is excited to get on the road. “TBG needs to adapt if it’s going to make a big splash with 2213.”

“That’s not what I-”

“I know.” Ava puts down her pen. She started to get into this at her interview, and knows she can expand on what she said then. “I have played most of your releases in their entirety, on all consoles including with VR. I’ve followed your socials on my private account pretty much since they were created.”

“Who else do you play?”

Ava thinks for a moment. While the question isn’t unexpected, it’s something that requires some tact. “Whoever I can,” she says. “Rockstar, Nintendo, Legends, Epic, Blizzard, Naughty Dog. If a company puts out a game that I’m interested in I’ll give it a shot.”

Rip gives that smirk again. “League of Assassins?”

Ava wants to laugh. Who hasn’t played that game from Legends? She particularly likes those story lines credited to Mick Rory. “Of course.”

Rip smiles as he tilts his head. “Great. I will make sure a copy of 2213 lands on your desk by the end of the day. Familiarize yourself with the game, and feel free, obviously, to use screenshots and whatnot in the social media. Especially as we get closer to the launch date.”

Obviously, Ava echoes internally. “I was wondering about direction, sir.” She receives a nod at the honorific. “Like I said, TBG’s socials have been bland. I think we need a change.” It’s the first time she’s used we to include herself as a member of the TB Gaming team. She smiles. “There are a great many gaming companies out there who do this better than us.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Well, what if we get rough?” She looks at Gary Green, their main ad designer. “If we jump into the frey of online commentary? We could market 2213 as a direct competitor for games like League of Assassins.”

Gary clears his throat and gives out a nervous chuckle. “Have you seen Legends socials though? They’re practically assassins themselves.”

“Just their social manager,” says Rip. “The rest of them are real nice.”

“I think I can handle it,” says Ava. She drums her fingers on her binder.

“But your background is in government,” says Rip. “That’s not the most vicious side of the internet.”

Ava gives Rip a smirk this time. “Even the Parks Department has trolls. And I’ve wanted to give back for quite a while. Embarking on a brand war would be fun.”

Rip shrugs. “Fine. But make sure you do it smart.”

“I’ll make a plan, sir.”

As the meeting continues Ava jots down the names of some Let’s Play accounts on Youtube and Twitch that the marketing team tends to follow. Rip emphasizes keeping a finger on the pulse of the fans to see what’s making them tick and bringing them in. She makes notes about the team’s expectations for her when they come up throughout the conversation and is glad to see Gary’s concept sketches for some upcoming ads in Game Informer issues. The first is about 2213’s place in the larger lineup of TBG’s games. The story, like all TBG games, fits into a larger universe created by the founder of the company, Hank Heywood. Gary's second piece is about the game itself, built around a beautiful illustration of the main character, Lexa Woods. Ava wants to cheer at the skilled work, but she follows the standard set by Rip, who simply nods and gives Gary that smirk too. Interesting. Rip ends the meeting before asking Ava to hang back.

“Feeling settled?”

“As well as one can on the first day,” says Ava. she tucks her hands into her pants pockets, waiting for him to continue.

“I will forward you the login info for our socials. And here.” He reaches across the desk and picks up a box, which he hands to Ava. A new phone. “As I’m sure you know this is for business purposes only. Stop by HR to sign the paperwork before the end of the day.”

Ava nods, looking through the plastic window at the white phone inside.

“You remember where HR’s located?”

Of course, Ava thinks. He expects me not to game and to get lost. “Yes,” she says.

“Great.” That smirk returns. Maybe it’s not a smirk, Ava thinks. Maybe it’s something else. “Let me know if you have any questions, Ava. I’m looking forward to seeing your plan of attack against Legends.”

Me too, Ava muses. She shakes his hand before gathering her things. She has a new phone, a new assortment of accounts to manage, and a new mission. This is going to be very different than working for a government agency.

**Sara:**

Sara Lance likes it messy. Her laptop is balanced on top of three computer game cases, none of which she’s played since joining Legends over two years ago. Her cup of tea is on a coaster, sure, but underneath the coaster is a half-assed outline of a League update that Ray gave her a few months back. It’s never gonna happen but hell, it makes a good backup coaster. When she opens her email she doesn’t bother looking at the top of the screen first. Her eyes are drawn to those she’s marked as important, the only method of organization she bothers with. She quickly responds, sending a few new messages out to a couple of smaller companies that she’s eyed on the socials as potentially good contacts. She works her way up and down the list, scrolling without seeming to mind whether she hits everything. But she does mind, she just has a system that works for her. Sort of.

If Sara is honest with herself she’ll admit that she likes the feeling of pressure. Having a mountain of work to slog through and no easily navigated system gives her a sense of urgency in which she thrives. Everything feels important and it all gets done at some point. After all, no one is gonna die. And if they do Sara will retweet it and the game’s sales numbers will jump again, remorse be damned.

The numbers. Sara opens the analytics of the Legends Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, and the tool she’s downloaded for Reddit analytics. She jumps into the numbers easily, not bothering to track anything on a spreadsheet but instead taking out her favorite notebook. It’s old, spiraled, and Sara bends the cover at the corner like she always does as she opens it. She’s already torn the bottom right hand corner and it’ll be more balanced with the top right corner gone too.

Her notes are as messy as her mind. Not her handwriting, the notes themselves. There are initials and nicknames to signify brands and trends, none of which she’s written a key to discern. She knows, without checking back through the notebook, that the traffic to the Legends Twitter has increased by 2.5% in the past month and that the Twitch account has received more comments than usual. The joys of recording herself decimating highly ranked online LoA players. The notes take up less than a page, cramped together like someone running out of pages. With a sigh she clicks over to her email and drafts a message to Gideon, their best traveling sales rep. Always interested in the analytics, that one. After sending off the email she notices a message from Wally, a coder who always has the latest info from their competitors. Sometimes Sara thinks that Wally must spend all of his spare time searching up info. Either that or he’s one fast searcher. The email is titled _tbg version of u_ and it contains nothing but a link. Without pause Sara clicks through, remembering that TB Gaming was transferring their social media away from that dud Bennett. Good riddance.

 _Ava Sharpe._ Sara reads the name aloud and looks at the picture, wondering if the woman staring back at her is as good at social media as she is at wearing her hair over one shoulder.

Damn, Sara.

A quick scroll shows that Sharpe’s most recent job was running the socials for a park. Like a public park. Polite parents and whether the picnic tables would be under the shade and nothing rough or contentious from the gamer side of Twitter. Sara laughs as she clicks out of the profile. Why’d Wally bother sending the resume of a complete noob?

TB Gaming. _Tame Babies. Turd Bastards._

Weak. Sara will think on it for a bit ‘cause there has to be something useful there.

Back on Twitter Sara does a search for mentions of Legends. She likes some stuff, retweets a few cool videos, and comments on particularly contentious posts. One guy with a drawn monkey as his picture tweeted an in-game screenshot of Clarke Griffin, the main from League. White lettering above the still reads: When u want to be cool but u ain’t a thing. Sara hits the reply bubble, then hovers her fingers over her keyboard. _Ain’t a thing but you still playing? Ain’t a thing but is a Legend. Don’t be jealous._

Sara looks at his handle. _@TagMeLadies._ Ugh, gross. His name is _Tag Plays 4 Wins._

Tag. Could that be his name? Sara decides to not be clever, serving out pure bile instead. The way her stomach feels makes the insults hit with satisfaction. _Got more balls than you and she’s just pixels._ She hits reply and moves on. 

Sara gets up to make breakfast, bringing her phone with her. She starts to scramble some eggs, scrolling through Reddit while the pan warms up. Nothing much right now - Sara clicks on a subreddit that she’d first seen the previous night. It asked the age-old question of which main characters from various games people ship. Sara leans against the counter as she looks through the threads, stopping when she sees one focused on LoA. The first person pairs Clarke with one of the other characters in LoA, an assassin named Finn Collins. Sara snorts; Finn is not the kind of guy that she’d pair with a complete badass like Clarke. He’s too disarming. His character, twice within the first four levels of the game, tries to talk his employers out of giving him hits on people he feels kinship towards. Sometimes, depending on gamer choice, he dies. Scrolling down Sara reads ships for other characters. Even some that don’t have a last name because they are so light to the story are paired up. About halfway down one of the threads she sees another ship for Clarke.

_Ok I know they’re from different games and tbg and legends hate each other or whatever, but hear me out: Clarke and that new chick from 2213. They both seem badass and honestly I’d like to see that sooooo…_

The post has 97 upvotes, and even as she’s watching the numbers jump up by 4. Sara shakes her head. She clicks through to a drawing someone posted of the two characters and laughs. Quickly she takes a screenshot of the illustration, then backs out and takes another of the conversation. It won’t do for posting right now, but damn this shit is entertaining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the start! Figuring out who these characters are in this world.
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments. I'd love to read your thoughts!


	2. Offices and Drinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava’s eyes find the nearest TV and she practically groans when an ad comes up. League of Assassins, of course. She watches Clarke Griffin stalk across the screen, a curved blade in one hand and a severed head in the other ... She throws the head at one man and uses the sword to skillfully take down the others, doing an impressive jump-spin-kick move that Ava’s coaxed out of the character during gameplay a couple of times.
> 
> God.
> 
> \-------
> 
> “When we underestimate the competition we give them the chance to blindside us,” says Damien. He nods to Nora. “We’ve looked at her history as well, and honestly I’m a bit surprised that you’re being so casual about this.”
> 
> Park service, Sara thinks. That’s where this filthy casual comes from.
> 
> “I can practically hear your internal eye roll, Sara.” 
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava develops a routine and tries to get a handle on the TB Gaming accounts. She's annoyed by how aggressive Legends is, especially in their advertising. Meanwhile Sara is warned against underestimating the competition so she takes another look at Sharpe's LinkedIn. And at after dinner drinks she is surprised by the company.

**Ava:**

Wake up at 5:30. Go for a run. Make and eat something.

As Ava walks into the office she swings her bag a bit on her shoulder, thinking about the early sun greeting her as returned to her apartment, warm with the exertion of her run. She doesn’t remember the rough fire in her throat from pulling in the cold air or the way her calves begged to be left alone as she stretched afterwards.

After going through her email, responding and sorting by what is marked urgent and the order in which they were received, she opens her binder and jumps onto the TBG socials. She doesn’t search for mentions or hashtags but instead navigates to TBG’s profile. She scrolls to the most recent posts by Bennett. Outside of a couple retweets the profile is full of Bennett’s own work. The tone is professional and distant, almost clinical. Ava clicks through on a few tweets and notes that the comments reflect that distance. Ava sighs. The most recent tweets, those by Ava, are still professional, but contain a couple emojis. She’s even made the account’s first joke. Change takes time.

Ava has half a page of ideas about how to shift the Twitter account to a more personable place when she hears someone behind her. She turns to see Gary, sketchbook in hand, with a lunchbox. His presence and question have become an expected part of Ava’s day. “What time are you taking lunch?”

“I can go now,” she says.

They walk to the break room together, Ava a few steps ahead of the artist. She sits down and starts pulling out her lunch while Gary uses the microwave.

“What are you working on?” she asks when he joins her. He hasn’t opened the sketchbook during any of their shared lunches.

“Oh, this is personal,” he says. “Not work related.”

“You draw on your lunch break?”

Gary shrugs. “It’s a good way to pass the time if I’m not eating with anyone.” He picks at his reheated chicken parm. “I know somebody who always carries a book with her.”

Sure, sketching can be as soothing as reading. Probably. Ava takes a bite of her cold lasagna. She’d made a pan as a small celebration on Monday.

“How are you handling the socials?” Gary flicks open his notebook and Ava can see intricate patterns and featureless silhouettes. They’re rougher than the stuff she’s seen in his professional portfolio, and she smiles.

“They’re fine,” she says. “I’m changing the tone. Trying to get more of a personality into them.”

“That makes sense. Wil hated that job,” Gary says. Ava smiles as the conversation continues, not steering off work but seeming a bit friendlier than when they were at their desks. Maybe she is turning a coworker into a friend, she thinks. Gary would be an ok friend, maybe.

After lunch Ava goes over analytics, creating a chart of projected engagement growth. She notes that the document autosaves and clicks onto Twitch. Brand by brand she begins looking at the competition. EA and their more specific division, EA Sports. Sony. Nintendo. She moves over to Twitter. The tweets are all consistent in the tone and branding of each company, all more or less professional. Retweets from accounts for specific games made by each developer. Comments on updates and new features. Occasionally a meme retweeted from a player. She works her way through ten or so different companies, making notes on anything that seems interesting or different. Finally she pulls up the Legends accounts, a different social platform on each browser tab. Their branding is aggressive and insulting to their own games, their own work, and their customers. Legends retweets and regrams gamers far more frequently than other designers, but only to insult or drag them.

Ava can’t figure out why she feels compelled to keep scrolling. Maybe the posts intrigue her simply because they’re not like everyone else. She shakes her head and switches back to her own accounts.

At the end of the day Gary is at her desk again, this time with his lunchbox in one hand and his coat in the other. This is new. “The marketing department goes out on Fridays, sometimes.” He shifts so his coat is hanging from his arm and runs his hand through his hair. “Want to come?”

Drinks. Ava has created some posts for the various game-specific accounts that TBG owns, all posted or timed to post at peak engagement times. She’s also taken notes about the Legends. She has been working on a way to engage with them, to use their response to shift viewer expectations for the TB Gaming accounts. Her thoughts are still jumbled, but maybe talking to the larger marketing team would help..

“Sure Gary. Drinks.” Decisive.

At the parks service coworkers go out, Ava can’t honestly pretend this is weird. But they go for dinner, not drinks. And certainly not to a bar that has arcade games along the back wall and plays Esports on the TVs. And the head of their department doesn’t often show up.

“Ava Sharpe. Gary.” Rip half stands with a wave as she and Gary reach the table. It’s a large high top so they can sit or sort of lean against it. “Glad you could join us.”

“Gary said everyone comes,” says Ava.

Rip returns to his seat and eyes the drink menu in his hands. Ava takes that as her cue to stop talking. She looks around the table to nod at Bennett, Gary, and two people she’s seen around but hasn’t met. She sits between Bennett and Gary with a smile for the former social media manager. “How are you liking sales?”

“Oh my god it’s a dream,” he says. He picks up his glass to take a sip. “No creepy DMs, no feeling like nothing we put out there is in my control. Just me and the road, and an occasional person or two.”

Ava laughs. She supposes he’s right, it’s possible to be blindsided by what strangers post on socials. But that was sort of the joy of it for Ava.

“Hey, I’m Mona,” one of the two strangers stretching a hand across Gary, who’s sitting at the corner of the table. Ava reaches for the shake and grins. “You must be Ava.”

“Yes,” says Ava.

“This is Konane,” says Mona, gesturing to the broad-shouldered man at her side.

“Hey,” says Konane. He runs a hand along his jaw, like maybe he’s nervous. “I’m a sales rep,” he says.

“Cool,” says Ava. She glances at Mona, wondering what she does for TBG.

“He’s my boyfriend,” says Mona.

“We know,” says Gary. He pulls his chair back and gets up so Mona and Ava aren’t talking across him. “I’m gonna use the little boy’s room.”

Ava doesn’t watch Gary go, instead turning towards Rip when she feels something tapping against her arm. “Pick a drink if you want,” he says with that smirk. Ava looks at the selection as Mona explains that she used to work for TBG but she left half a year ago when her first novel came out. She is already halfway through outlining the sequel.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t love the TBG fam though,” she says with a hand on Konane’s  
shoulder.

“Hmm.” Ava decides on a drink and gets up to place her order. It’s the kind of place where you get your own beer from the bar.

“I can get it,” says Gary. He’s back from the bathroom and Ava wants to tell him to take a step back. Instead she shakes her head and takes a step away herself.

“Thanks but I’m good.” She doesn’t look back before turning to the bar. When she returns to the table Gary is talking to Wil, while Mona and Konane seem to have forgotten that anyone else is there, talking with an intensity that makes Ava look around the room. She leans against the table near Rip instead of taking her seat next to Gary.

“Wow,” Rip says. She turns to see that he and Wil are both staring at a large party sitting at a lower table, appetizers and drinks spread in front of them. Ava wonders why they’re staring until she recognizes two of the men, Mick Rory and Jefferson Jackson. Legends employees. Ava’s been on the website frequently enough to have no doubt about their identities.

“Are they all Legends?” She feels weird staring at anyone else sitting with Rory and Jackson.

“Yeah,” says Rip.

Ava’s eyes find the nearest TV and she practically groans when an ad comes up. League of Assassins, of course. She watches Clarke Griffin stalk across the screen, a curved blade in one hand and a severed head in the other. The character smiles at the camera before turning around to find her targets are practically upon her. She throws the head at one man and uses the sword to skillfully take down the others, doing an impressive jump-spin-kick move that Ava’s coaxed out of the character during gameplay a couple of times.

God.

Ava puts down her drink and shifts away from the table. She notices that Rip is facing her so she mouths “bathroom” before heading to the corner where the line slinks into the shadows behind a protruding wall. The commercial is insufferable, she thinks. Just like whoever controls the socials for Legends.

**Sara:**

Sara isn’t late. She’s not early either because who shows up early to a company meeting? Oh, right. Ray Palmer.

“Hey, saved you a seat.” He kicks a chair out for Sara before facing forward again. Sara sits down with a grunt before smirking at him.

“You’re chipper,” she stage-whispers.

“Just interested in what Mr. Darhk has to say on this lovely Friday,” he says.

Sara almost rolls her eyes but she knows it’s no use. Just like she knows that Ray’s actually chipper because of a certain COO. And although Sara is normally against obvious nepotism she knows that Nora Darhk is a hard worker.

The meeting is their usual six month check-in. Progress from each department head is shared, punctuated by stories illustrating how hard the employees are working. Numbers are explained, including those that Sara sent to Gideon. There’s no real reason for Gideon to be the one reading the analytics aside from her unending love of math. There are a few minutes when they touch base on the competition. Upcoming games are discussed, as well as which designers will feature in magazines, websites, promos, and the like. Sara rolls her eyes when TBG is mentioned. What a joke. At the end Damien Darhk stands, leaning on the back of his chair. It’s the only one in the room that’s not on wheels.

“We’ve had a great increase since our last meeting, and I appreciate all of the effort you’ve been putting into our creations.”

Sara notices the soft exhale at the praise. Darhk’s never been angry in front of this group, but there’s something about the way he carries himself that seems full of potential violence. Ray and a couple of the others have mentioned that feeling to Sara. She notices, as usual, that Nora doesn’t seem at all affected by her father’s nature or the response of her underlings. An indicator, perhaps, that the fear is misplaced.

“There are some particular improvements in the story line that will come out in the next LoA package update. If you aren’t in development and haven’t heard about it yet seek out Mick Rory. The writing is inspired.”

His writing is always inspired, thinks Sara. She knows some women hate the stories that Mick creates, but she thinks they’re refreshing. One of his games, Heatwaves, is built around a male and female duo, one an alien, sharing the lead. They’re in love and fight side-by-side as a team. Gamers can choose who to play and neither position is slighted by the other throughout the gameplay. Sara would know, she’s completed the game as both Buck and Garima.

She tunes back into what Darhk is saying as he finishes out the pep talk. “I have no doubt that you will all continue to do me proud as we move forward. Remember that together we can create the best games on the market. And as always, we play to win.”

The sendoff is the same as always. Sara listens to her coworkers respond with their usual mix of groans and murmurs of agreement while they get up. Ray is one of the employees who agrees.

“Lance?”

The person speaking to her is Nora. Sara stands up and walks over to her and her father. She knows they expect her to be nervous. She’s never been pulled over at the end of a meeting, but their body language isn’t indicating that she’s in trouble. “Yes?”

“We want to touch in regarding 2213,” says Nora. Her father nods.

“Another flailing attempt to bring us down,” Sara says. She chuckles as Nora raises her eyebrows. “I’ve seen the promos and the game does look good, but their marketing has never been-”

“They have a new marketing manager,” says Damien.

“Yes,” responds Sara. “I’ve checked her out on LinkedIn. I don’t think she’ll be a problem.”

“When we underestimate the competition we give them the chance to blindside us,” says Damien. He nods to Nora. “We’ve looked at her history as well, and honestly I’m a bit surprised that you’re being so casual about this.”

Park service, Sara thinks. That’s where this filthy casual comes from.

“I can practically hear your internal eye roll, Sara.” Nora steps forward. “Take a longer look at her credentials. We want you to be prepared if she comes after Legends.”

“You really think she’ll do that?”

Nora shrugs. “It’s what you’d do, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” says Sara. “But I’m-”

Nora smiles. “I know, you’re an assassin. Just take another look and put something together. TB Gaming might get desperate and we want to be ready, like always.”

Sara knows that they’re right, she should be ready. It’s her job. “Of course.”

“Great.” Damien leans forward and claps a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to send your plan up for approval, we trust you to handle the socials. We know your worth.”

Sara looks down, knowing that her surprised pride will show on her face. “Thank you sir.” She watches Damien turn, then shakes Nora’s hand.

“Thank you, Sara.”

Sara lets Damien and Nora leave before exiting the room. She goes back to her desk and turns on her computer. Normally she only comes in once or twice a week, so she shuts her computer down completely each night. While it wakes up she thinks about 2213. The company hasn’t released the rationale for the title yet, and in general Sara dislikes gimmicks like that. On the other hand TB Gaming hasn’t drawn any attention to the title, hasn’t used the mystery as a draw. The name itself though? Stupid. Random. Casual gamers won’t remember a string of four numbers that have seemingly no importance.

Park services. Sara fights the urge to roll her eyes again, this time reading through the demands of the job that Sharpe lists below the position. They’re arguably the same work that Sara does for Legends, but Sara knows the overall tone and style of the two jobs would be incompatible. Parks would be light, friendly, engaging. Boring. Ava held that position for four years. Sara clicks open a new tab to look up one of the accounts Sharpe used to run, then scrolls down to see posts from three weeks ago, when Sharpe still ran the account. Clean. Professional. Good illustrations and some comical meme use. She clicks through one of the posts to view follower interactions and is surprised that Sharpe regularly responds to smaller accounts. With a sigh Sara opens TBG’s Twitter page. The most recent posts all have good followup, and Sara feels her stomach flip. There are even jokes peppered throughout the page. Sara clicks back to LinkedIn and scrolls down. Before the parks service job Ava split her career between the wholesale department of a publishing company and working for the national parks service as a file clerk. Three years there, five working for the publisher. She got that job through an internship in college. Sara laughs when she sees the school that Ava attended. A direct sports rival to Sara’s school. She stops laughing when she sees Ava’s GPA. Damn, a 4.0 isn’t worth a laugh.

Maybe the Darhks are right to worry. There’s no way that Sara will make the first move though. She smites those who attack, she doesn’t initiate.

Back in her apartment at the end of the day, Sara pulls up youtube on her desktop. She keys in a quick search and settles in to watch Let’s Plays featuring upcoming game releases. Soon she’s watching the fifth in a row for 2213. She shakes her head as she clicks on the next video. This might be trouble. The graphics are on point. Sara feels like she’s looking into Lexa’s eyes during the cutscenes, and that those eyes could belong to a real person. Most of the gamers state that the movements are intuitive and the character can do more than most games allow. Lexa can fight, sure, but she can also attempt to use wit or charm to make her way through the world that TBG has created. These choices interest Sara as she watches Gameballz, a twenty-something guy from Germany, deliberate between subduing an enemy physically or trying to talk the situation out. There is someone behind Lexa so leaving an unconscious body would draw attention, but the guards ahead would hear a conversation too.

This is interesting, Sara thinks for the third time. Ugh.

She turns off the screen later that night and climbs into bed. She’ll talk to the marketing team about it tomorrow. The Darhks want Sara to be prepared, and Sara can’t help thinking she could use all hands on deck.

After work drinks. Not exactly a tradition, but something they do every now and again. Their usual bar is in the midst of some renovations so the Legends make their way to one a bit further from work. Sara’s heard that the focus is on gaming, and when she notices that all of the TVs are showing Esports nonsense she smiles.

Her kind of place.

The appetizers around the table are fine, as are the drinks. And now is the perfect time to share her thoughts on TBG with the table. She clears her throat, but before she can speak Jax is shaking his head.

“Can you believe that team is here?”

Sara follows his gaze to a large high top table across the room and frowns when she sees Rip Hunter staring at her. She switches to a grin and waves at him, projecting a friendliness that she doesn’t feel.

Ok, she admits to herself. Rip isn’t bad, and honestly none of the TB Gaming people that she’s met bother her. But still.

She sees Gary Green and Wilbur Bennett, and fights the urge to pull a face at the former marketing manager. How a person could retain a job after his lackluster performance is beyond Sara. Then she pauses, seeing a woman with distinct blonde hair hanging over one shoulder moving to lean against the table, next to Hunter. Ava Sharpe. Sara knows she’s not looking over so she takes a moment to assess. Sharpe is tall, almost reaching Hunter’s height. Sara can’t see her eye color from here but her entire presence is certain and careful.

Rip leans towards Sharpe and before the other woman can look over Sara turns away. She asks Ray what he’s drinking as a distraction, giving the conversation a minute or so before glancing at the TBG table again. Sharpe isn’t looking. In fact she’s moving away from the table, towards the corner of the bar. Sara shifts her attention back to Ray for just a moment.

“Excuse me,” she says as she stands. “Bathroom break.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! Although the self-doubt has been real the last couple of days I've done my best. I'd rather do someone else's best but I my resources are limited. (That's my way of admitting that I'm not too hot on this chapter. That said, the next one feels much better.)
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading and for the kudos. Please let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> Best,  
> Erin


	3. Playing Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most recent post gives her pause. There’s a TV in a background very similar to this one. The same trailer that Ava saw not two hours ago when she was avoiding looking at the Legends table plays on her phone.
> 
> Had their social media manager been here? Or did one of their coworkers record this video for the post?
> 
> _Great gameplay whether you’re drunk or sober_
> 
> The video pans out to show a crowd and Ava sees herself in the background, not the focus at all but there... This is bullshit.
> 
> \-------
> 
> “I may have flirted with her.”  
> Gideon gasps, raising her hand to cover her shock. “You didn’t!”  
> “She didn’t know it was me,” says Sara. “I complimented her. It was harmless.”  
> Her mind skips back to the conversation, not quite as simple as all that.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava reflects on a few people she met during her night out and develops a plan for dealing with Legends. Meanwhile Sara has lunch with a friend then gets a sneak peak at 2213. And damn if she's not impressed.

**Ava:**

What a night. Ava is still annoyed by Gary’s invasive behavior, but the man doesn’t have any malice behind his actions. He just seems awkward and fond of standing far too close. Tonight it doesn’t help that his breath smells like chicken wings, beer, and maybe a hint of whatever he ate for lunch. He isn’t half as annoying as the second strange man to approach Ava. Tall, fit in a way that makes Ava think gym rat, he comes over when Ava is by the bar waiting to order her third drink.

“Hey,” he says. Ava glances at him before looking down the line of people again, hoping to catch the bartender’s eye. She doesn’t respond before he speaks again.

“Saw you over there with your friends,” he says. The word friends sounds dismissive in his mouth, like anyone that a woman would spend time with aside from him is below his notice. He leans forward with that look in his eye, like he’s confident he’s just found a new lay.

“Hmm,” says Ava absently. She continues to look around him.

“Any of them special to you? Or can we talk?”

“I’m set,” Ava says as the bartender comes over. Ava thinks she’s cute, with chin length dark hair and green eyes. Ava leans forward to call out her order but the man moves quicker and yells at the woman.

“Put it on my tab. Ben David.”

Ava shakes her head and sees that the bartender is watching her, not this idiot. “No,” she says. “A local dark beer please. Sharpe.” The bartender nods to her, not looking at the guy, before moving down the line to grab a glass.

“Sharpe, that your name?” The man leans closer, getting in Ava’s space now. She takes a half step back and looks at him this time.

“That’s not your business.”

“C’mon, I just want to buy you a drink. Get to know you.” He smiles as Ava shakes her head.

“No thank you,” she says. “I’m not interested.”

The bartender comes back and hands the glass to Ava. Ava pulls out three bills from her pocket and puts them on the bar, sliding them over. Extra for ignoring this dipshit man. “Thanks,” she says. The woman takes the cash, her fingers grazing Ava’s with the motion. Before Ava looks away the bartender blinks.

Ava turns back to the man, who’s wearing this gross expectant look. “Have a good night,” she says. Her words hold a level of finality that the man clearly isn’t expecting. Ava smiles to herself as she heads back to the group at the high top, taking a sip of her beer as she goes.

She wonders, reflecting on it now, if the man thinks that she and Gary are together. She wants to laugh and gag simultaneously.

Before all that, Ava recalls, there is the woman waiting in line behind her for the bathroom. The one with blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. The one that Ava can’t pick out after she leaves the bathroom. That woman is flirty and cute and Ava wouldn’t say no to another conversation with her.

But the job is still too new, Ava thinks, even as her eyes roam the room for the third time in pursuit of that v-neck red shirt and those toned arms. She doesn’t have time to socialize. Her goal right now is to connect with her new coworkers, not charm her way into whatever that would be.

Ava sighs as she accidentally makes eye contact with that jerk with two first names. She will stop looking for that blonde, she thinks as she turns to sip her beer. She will stop looking and she’ll pay attention to whatever it is Wilbur is saying about his first official week on the road. Visiting GameStops and Walmarts and Targets and everywhere video games are sold throughout Star City. Idly she pulls out her personal phone and jumps on Twitter. No point in looking with the TBG accounts when she’s been drinking. She goes to the Legends page, wondering if they’ve posted anything new since she checked that morning. The most recent post gives her pause. It’s a TV in a background very similar to this one. The same trailer that Ava saw not two hours ago when she was avoiding looking at the Legends table plays out on her phone.

Had their social media manager been here? Or did one of their coworkers record this video for the post?

_Great gameplay whether you’re drunk or sober._ Sara snorts at the self-indulgent line. 

The video pans out to show a crowd and Ava sees herself in the background, not the focus at all but there. Confirmation that this was shot here, at least.

Ava closes her Twitter app and shoves the phone back into her pocket. This is bullshit.

There are napkins on the table in one of those standing dispensers. She pulls one and brings it in front of her on the table, pulling a pen out of her purse. She wipes down the table first, then grabs a fresh napkin. Quickly she begins to outline her thoughts. A plan of attack against Legends, and specifically League of Assassins.

2213 is a better game, she thinks. It deserves a great campaign and a larger audience.

“What’re you doing?”

Gary’s words are a bit slow. Ava smirks as she shows him her thoughts. She wants to create posts that are subtly about LoA. Goad Legends into a response, which many will see as a preemptive strike. It’s clear from their regular use of socials that they are responders, but Ava wants to make that change. And she thinks, sitting in that bar while explaining her thought process to Gary, that she can do just that.

**Sara:**

Gideon is a great lunch buddy. She likes food from the same places as Sara and doesn’t mind talking shop. They’re sitting together in the window of a cafe, sandwiches at hand and coffees ready.

“Do you have a lot dropping today?”

Sara pulls out her work phone and scrolls. “No more than any other Saturday.” Gideon knows she’s not bored with the conversation or the company, going on her phone is simply what she does. Especially when talking about work.

“That one playthrough on Twitch got a lot of movement,” says Gideon. She pulls out her own phone, keys around on it for a bit, then slides it over to Sara. “I saw it this morning after breakfast.”

“You would look at analytics on your days off,” says Sara. She notes that Gideon is right, committing the new numbers to her head. The gameplay isn’t anything unusual, but she’d swapped out her voice modulator. She never uses her true voice in the videos.

“I also take videos of our promos airing in gamer bars and share them with any coworkers who could use them for work,” Gideon says.

Sara shakes her head. “Thank you, as always.”

“You’re welcome.” Gideon smiles. “Have you seen the recent posts and replies from TB?”

“Not really,” says Sara. It’s been two days since she looked.

“Check this out,” orders Gideon. She grabs her phone back and clicks around for a bit before sliding the device back over.

“Shit,” says Sara. The most recent posts aren’t like the ones that Bennett posted. First is a meme, one that’s really taken off within the last week or so. A man is sitting in front of a computer screen, head in his hands, looking through his fingers with a hopeful expression. There’s text at the top and bottom of the image, framing it. “When your online game freezes,” she reads aloud, “but TBG is still up.”

“Right? Click through,” advises Gideon.

Under the tweet many of the comments have replies from the TBG account, responses to gamers that are still professional, but friendly. On a few Sharpe has even used gifs, images, and emojis as reactions.

“If anyone thought Bennett was still in charge,” says Sara.

“This chick is good,” confirms Gideon. “I haven’t checked their analytics but I’ve noticed that their number of followers has picked up.”

“Great,” says Sara.She picks up her sandwich to take a bite, and for several minutes she and Gideon sit in companionable silence as they eat.

“Hey,” says Gideon, a thoughtful look on her face. “Our numbers are going up too.”

“Our numbers always go up.” Sara snorts. “Do you think I’d let them drop?”

“No,” says Gideon. “I’m just saying TBG has a long ladder to climb before we should properly worry.”

Sara grins and puts down her food. “Ok, I gotta tell you something.”

Gideon puts down her own sandwich and leans forward. “Yes?”

“Don’t tell anyone we work with, but I kinda met Sharpe last night.”

“Wait, you did?”

“She was at the bar with the rest of TBG. I saw her get up to use the bathroom so I followed her. Got in line behind her.”

Gideon laughs. “Didn’t have to pee, did you?”

“No.” Sara picks up her coffee but doesn’t take a sip. She remembers the way the low lighting made Sharpe’s hair kind of shimmer and how she’d looked at Sara with surprise and a sort of unreserved happiness. “I may have flirted with her.”

Gideon gasps, raising her hand to cover her shock. “You didn’t!”

“She didn’t know it was me,” says Sara. “I complimented her. It was harmless.”

Her mind skips back to the conversation, not quite as simple as all that.

_’Long wait?’_

_‘No more than usual.’_

_Sara eyes Ava up and down, pointedly. ‘Shame.’ The woman was attractive, and if they ever met professionally this would only serve to embarrass the shit out of Sharpe. Sara lives for that type of dynamic in her competitors. Embarrassed, off-balance, uncomfortable, they’re all perfect for throwing someone off their game._

_Sharpe instantly blushes. Sara runs a hand up to tuck some of her own hair behind her ear and watches Sharpe copy the motion. Sara decides to play with her obvious interest. ‘I bet you’re not bored out there though.’ Ava looks surprised for a moment so Sara helps her out.‘Someone as beautiful as you wouldn’t be ignored by all these men.’_

_‘Oh, I’m not interested-’_

_‘I figured,’ says Sara. She nods behind Sharpe, indicating that the line is moving. One person is ahead of Ava._

_‘You must have the same problem,’ says Ava. Sara thinks she’s finding her rhythm within this unexpected attention._

_‘Oh, I don’t mind a flirty man. I prefer women though.’ She drops her eyes to take in Sharpe’s body, then nods again behind Ava. It’s her turn._

_‘Will I see you out there?’ Ava actually looks hopeful as she gestures to the bar. Sara almost laughs._

_‘You’ll have to see,’ says Sara with a wink. No, she thinks. It’s too bad, really. After Ava goes into the stall Sara turns around, leaving the line and intending to leave the bar too._

“You’re terrible,” says Gideon. She is grinning like she expected no less from Sara, and Sara reflects that she probably deserves that grin. She does have a bit of a reputation as a lady and man killer.

“Eh,” Sara shrugs. “Gotta get my kicks somewhere, right?”

“You mean outside of when you mercilessly mock our games and our fans?” Sara takes a sip from her coffee as though considering the idea. Gideon leans forward again, as though she’s got her own secret to spill. “I got a copy.”

“What?” Sara can’t think of what Gideon is talking about.

“2213. I have a copy. Full and complete, back at my apartment.”

“What?” Sara wouldn’t have been more surprised if Gideon admitted that she’d also flirted with Sharpe.

“Got it through a friend. No, I won’t tell you who.”

“How many favors did you have to cash in on?”

“I won’t tell you that either.”

“God,” says Sara. She leans back. “Can I play it?”

“Of course.” Gideon schools her face into a stern, chastising expression. “No broadcasting it though. No videos, no gifs, no nothing. My friend could lose their job.”

Sara holds up a hand. “Of course. Never-been-a-scout’s honor. I really want to play it though.”

“I figured. Let’s finish up here and go.”

Sara picks up her half-eaten sandwich. “Deal.”

Gideon’s apartment should feel cold. Clean lines, metal tables, grey color scheme. The woman sitting next to Sara makes all of those hard edges disappear in an instance though, and when Sara thinks of the apartment she can only remember a strong sense of welcome. Now Sara sits on the couch and watches Gideon grab the controllers for her PS4, handing one over before sitting down with her legs tucked under herself.

“It’s great, I’m loath to admit.”

She isn’t really, Sara knows. All Legends employees are thrilled with new excellent releases from other companies because, let’s be real, diving into a new game is so damn fun.

“Let’s start with single player. I gave you controller number one.”

“Thanks,” says Sara. She toggles over to the game after the console starts up and watches as the screen loads. It’s all dark grey with a green that matches Lexa’s eyes. Sara loads a new game and shifts on the couch as it loads. A few minutes later she’s watching the story spool out in front of her. Clones created in the future, given distinct jobs that mostly relate to security, warfare, and spying. Lexa is a clone, but one who sees the flaws in the system. One who is tired of watching her contemporaries die completing missions that humans are unwilling to send their own to complete. One who is tired of clones being viewed as expendable. It’s a compelling story and in the few minutes it takes to explain Sara feels herself becoming invested.

2213, it turns out, is the year in which the game is set.

“Get up that ladder,” says Gideon, pointing to the side of the screen.

“I know,” says Sara. The words come through her teeth as she presses the left joystick to make Lexa crouch, then uses the D-pad to maneuver the character towards the ladder. “I’m trying to watch out for that man there-”

As she speaks the man turns and Sara freezes her character for a split second. She pulls out her gun as she shifts Lexa back towards the crates she crawled from. Suddenly there’s an option on her screen, engage in a firefight or called conversation.

“I just shot him,” says Gideon.

Then why not try something different? Sara shifts the control over her two options.

“You only have a couple seconds,” warns Gideon.

Sara clicks on conversation. She watches as Lexa lowers her weapon and turns her back to the crate, facing the player. “I don’t want to hurt you,” Lexa calls over her shoulder. The man has his weapon raised, trained on the crate that Lexa is hidden behind. As Lexa’s words call out the camera zooms, pulling tight onto Lexa’s face. Sara must make her choices without seeing the man’s reaction.

“Like hell you don’t,” calls the man.

“I really don’t.” The screen gives Sara a choice. _This isn’t our fight_ or _Neither of us needs to die over this._ Underneath both is a third option: _Shoot him._ Sara chooses.

“This isn’t our fight,” Lexa calls. She rolls her shoulders on the screen, showing a vulnerability that Sara isn’t used to seeing in point-and-shoot games. “This is about the lives of those clones, not about you and I.”

The camera zooms out to show the man lowering his weapon. “Alright then,” he calls. “Come out and I’ll let you pass.”

Sara grins as she moves Lexa forward, passing the man who, to his word, keeps his weapon aimed at the ground.

“Great, isn’t it?” Gideon is grinning.

“This feels so real,” says Sara. She keeps going up the screen, foregoing the ladder now that she’s passed the man.

“Yeah, I feel kinda bad for smoking him,” says Gideon. She shrugs. “Want to play split screen?”

Sara presses start to save her progress. “Of course.”

After they choose their type of gameplay and their course, Sara and Gideon wait for the screen to load. This game is good. Hell, it might even be great. And there aren’t many bugs that Sara’s seen, even though this is a pre-release copy from last month. Maybe she should be more worried. With this gameplay and Sharpe’s ability this could spell some real competition for Legends.

Maybe Sara should go on the offensive.

No, she’s always played defense, at least on the socials. She smiles as she realizes that flirting with Sharpe at that bar was a bit of personal offense. The dark grey and green load screen vanishes in favor of a top and bottom split and Sara moves quickly through the screen, decisive as always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok! I think things are getting a bit interesting for Sara and Ava. Particularly for Sara, I think. She's so sneaky and rude. 👀
> 
> Soon the brand war will, you know, actually start. But will Sara cave and throw the first barb, like Ava wants?
> 
> Please let me know what you think, I'd love to know how it's being interpreted. And I hope you have a great day!
> 
> <3


	4. Us vs. Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava moves Lexa to a window. A frame without glass, really. Ava ... backs the character up, turns towards the window, and runs to jump through. It’s something she hasn’t done before, and honestly she has no idea if it’ll work. As Lexa lands in the room Ava aims at the first guard and shoots him. She then turns to the second, who is paused in shock, and chooses to have a conversation.
> 
> “Not every soldier has to die for them,” Lexa says.
> 
> \-------
> 
> The smooth way the character moves tells Sara that this is no noob. They even control the spin of the camera as Lexa turns to face the men. Whoever recorded this is a season gamer with a steady hand. And that insult? A solid hit. Sara can feel the sting to her ego despite Legends and LoA not being named specifically. She wants to hit back.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava wants to get serious about attacking Legends, but not too serious. Meanwhile, is Sara reading the posts from TB Gaming as they're intended?

**Ava:**

SUBTLE. Ava thinks the word in all caps, even as she modifies another meme to be a direct dunk on League of Assassins. Damn it.

Her hands go automatically to her water bottle as she eyes the images she’s created. The Cheating Boyfriend where the guy is labeled _Me_ , the person he’s holding hands with is _LoA_ , and the woman he’s checking out at is _2213_. Change My Mind, where a man sits at a table with a sign on which Ava has typed the words _2213 is better than LoA._ Lisa Simpson rocking back and forth with the caption _Playing LoA because 2213 isn’t out yet._ Far too on the nose.

Maybe I need to get it out of my system, Ava thinks. She already has an idea for a kickass video that would decimate Legends, she just has to play both games to make it happen. She opens her pre-release version of 2213 and jumps into her favorite level, one where Lexa has to choose between three different methods to enter a locked building and potentially save four spy clones. Without a word Ava turns on her camera to record the game. Ava shifts the character towards the wall and has her stack the boxes, climb up, and perch on the ledge. She scoots forward, balanced and careful. Lexa can fall in this game. She jumps from the wall up to the roof of the first floor, which is much larger than the second. Ava moves Lexa to a window. A frame without glass, really. Ava knows there are people in the room beyond and that if she moves to go through the window even while sneaking she will alert them to her presence. Instead she backs the character up, turns towards the window, and runs to jump through. It’s something she hasn’t done before, and honestly she has no idea if it’ll work. As Lexa lands in the room Ava aims at the first guard and shoots him. She then turns to the second, who is paused in shock, and chooses to have a conversation.

“Not every soldier has to die for them,” Lexa says. Ava watches the guard’s expression shift, visible to both Lexa and Ava. He looks frightened for a moment before he lowers his weapon. Ava knows that if she keeps playing he’ll raise it again, betraying that moment of hope. He does the same actions no matter how you enter the room and engage with him once his fellow is dead, but Ava doesn’t need to continue. She stops the recording and backs out of the game, already planning her play in League of Assassins.

LoA opens onto a field near a village. Ava turns on her camera and begins moving Clarke across the screen, heading towards a circle of houses. They’re wooden, and she’s heading for one near the edge that has a window without a pane. She doesn’t have to do anything difficult or fancy to reach it, which is why she chose this spot. She could do some tricks, show off and really up the views, but the point of this is to make LoA and Legends look dull.

At the window Ava moves Clarke a few steps back, echoing the movements she made with Lexa. The character runs and jumps, clearing the window and landing on one knee because Ava doesn’t bother making it neat. Quick as a breath an ax lands on Clarke and the scene freezes for a second. Ava could respond, take her killer down with her, but instead she watches the frozen moment pass into another hit by her killer. The screen goes red-orange in that distinct way LoA uses before Ava is told that she’s dead.

“Great,” says Ava. She turns off the camera and swivels over to her computer to upload what she’s captured. The videos are clean, her skill in playing evident even in the LoA shots where she’s doing little more than running the character towards her death. She opens a video editor and begins cutting and splicing the scenes, weaving those from LoA between the more interesting 2213 shots. Each of the cuts falls when Lexa and Clarke are in physically the same position. Professional, seamless. The final cut jumps when Clarke, blonde hair streaming, jumps through the window. Now there’s Lexa, spinning to take out one enemy. Ava stops the video when Lexa levels her weapon to the other guard, before she offers him mercy. The message of the video is clear, but Ava can’t help typing it out on the screen.

_LoA isn’t a bad game, but 2213 is a hell of a lot better._

Ava sits on the idea. She plays the spliced video from the start, watching the two characters move through their separate worlds as one. Even the transitions between the two worlds is smooth. LoA is brighter, sure, but they both have a realism that makes the scenes mesh well while being discernibly distinct. And the final shot of Lexa being a total badass feels so clean. So clear. The text ties it all in very well.

Shit. This can’t be posted yet.

Be subtle, Ava tells herself again.

She saves the video and jumps back to the memes she’s created. Compared to the video these memes are downright friendly. Huh.

Within seconds Ava has a clean copy of the Cheating Boyfriend meme. She stares at it for a moment before inserting new text. The guy is still labeled _Me_ , but the person he’s holding hands with becomes _Your favorite game_ and the woman he’s staring at is _2213_. She adjusts the Change My Mind text to _2213 is the most anticipated game of the year._ Ava doesn’t bother adjusting the Lisa Simpson meme before navigating to the TB Gaming twitter. She writes the date that 2213 will be dropping as mm.dd.yy, attaches the Cheating Boyfriend meme, and hits Tweet. She watches the post until the first few likes come in.

Youtube. Legends. Ava watches a couple of their videos, trying to get a read on the tone of the Legends page. She's already done the same with their Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch, an interest she hasn't taken with other companies. There are the usual previews and playthroughs of various Legends titles, some online multiplayer sessions with famous gamers, interviews. There are also videos from other Youtube channels that Legends has accumulated for their followers to peruse. And the descriptions are all that snark Ava has come to expect from the Legends social manager. Here they insult even their own games, calling one of their lesser titles a blatant attempt at mimicking greatness. Ava scoffs. The game being insulted is anything but mimicry, and whoever runs the Legends Youtube page knows it.

The video that Ava created would fit well on this channel. Ava navigates to the TB Gaming channel and watches the latest videos, all of which she posted. They’re less clinical than Bennett’s work, but Ava knows that uploading her newest would be too out of character. Sure it’d get attention, but it would also seem too discordant. Instead she pulls stills from other videos of herself playing 2213 and posts one to Instagram, scheduling others to drop throughout the next couple of days. Good things she's a planner and has alreay recorded hours of footage of herself playing as Lexa. She writes quips about 2213 killing the competition on each of the images before going back to the recording of Lexa jumping through that widow. She pulls the last bit of that scene, when Lexa turns from the killed man and says to his comrade, “Not every soldier has to die for them.” She puts her own text over the video and hits post.

_Not every gamer has to settle for Them._

She wonders, as she turns back to her PS4, whether Legends will know that Ava is thinking of them.

**Sara:**

“They’ve gotta be thinking about LoA.”

“You don’t know that,” says Ray. He shuffles through the packet of sheets he’s holding.

“Ugh, you and your optimism.” Sara’s sitting on his desk, far enough to respect his personal space but close enough to signify their friendship. “What do you got for me?”

“There’s gonna be some updates on a couple of things. Here.” Ray hands three pages over and glances at Sara. “Nothing huge, just fixing some glitches and developing a few story lines. Mick wants to overhaul that scene with the-”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sara flips through the pages. “You told me that last week. Are we any closer?”

“We’re reworking the coding for it now. I’d say no more than two months out.”

“Great.” Sara lowers the pages to make eye contact with Ray. “You are perfect and I love you Ray. Thanks for this.” She waves the papers at him with a smile.

“Of course, Sara. Just, per usual, don’t tell anyone.” He looks nervous. He always looks nervous, but he also always comes through.

“I never would.” She jumps off the desk.

“Sara,” says Ray. His voice is serious. “I really don’t think TB is posting about Legends. Coming after you would be suicide.”

“But look at it, Ray.” Sara pulls her phone out, unlocks it, and taps on Instagram. It’s already open to the video where Lexa doesn’t kill that guard. Sara has already played it for Ray, twice. “‘Them’, Ray. Who else would ‘them’ be? Not Rockstar, that’s for sure.”

“And ‘them’ can also be plural. Multiple games, multiple developers. It’s not about us, Sara.”

It better not be. Sara rolls her shoulders to try and drop some of the animosity she’s developing towards Sharpe. What the hell, Ray’s probably right. ‘Them’ could be a reference to any number of people or companies in the industry. Any number of games, really. “You’re right,” says Sara. She sighs. “I just feel like they’re gunning for us for some reason.”

“You go personal,” says Ray. “Maybe it’s making you expect the same from other companies.”

“I go personal ‘cause it’s the best way to expand the fanbase,” says Sara.

“Hey,” Ray says, picking up his hands and dropping one of the pages. “It’s a valid strategy and you do it well. I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect anyone to come at you the same way.” He bends to grab the paper.

Sara exhales. “Sorry, you’re right.” She grins. “And if they do come at me I’ll just kill ‘em.”

“I know you will.”

Sara stops by her desk long enough to glance at her computer. No notes or papers stacked on her chair. There’s no reason for her to work from the office today so she heads outside. In her car she takes out her phone and plays the brief video again. Seven seconds, that’s all the social media manager posted. Lexa appears while launching through the air, recorded mid-motion. She spins and levels her gun at a man in dark clothing and ends him with two shots. Without pause the character turns to face the second man, on the other side of an empty window that Lexa must have jumped through. She trains her gun on him before speaking.

The smooth way the character moves tells Sara that this is no noob. They even control the spin of the camera as Lexa turns to face the men. Whoever recorded this is a season gamer with a steady hand. And that insult? A solid hit. Sara can feel the sting to her ego despite Legends and LoA not being named specifically. She wants to hit back. Already there are a dozen retorts jumping in her mind, some good and some terrible in a funny way. But would she be replying directly to Sharpe? Sara has no way of knowing whether Sharpe is the person playing. Even if she generated the video she could have asked another TB Gaming employee to get the shot.

Sara hopes that Ava Sharpe was holding the controller.

Time to focus on something she can and should do right now. Sara drops her phone in the car’s cup holder and backs out of the parking spot, already planning how to utilize the info Ray gave her today.

At home Sara doesn’t reach her desk before she checks her phone again. There’s a notification that gives her pause. She clicks through Twitter to an image posted by Valve. Since the announcement of the upcoming Portal 3 release the company has ratcheted up their socials, posting far more frequently. Oh, but this is interesting.

An image of the robots from the Portal 2, Atlas and P-body, stand next to a portal into the world of LoA. Next to that panel words read, _GLaDOS: What did you two do?_ The next shows the same portal but Clarke is visible with a gun pointed at the robots. _GLaDOS: She’s uglier than Chell._ There’s a third panel where the portal is closed and the text reads, _GLaDOS: Thank God. That subpar human is gone._

Sara has to respond. A response is expected. Wanted, even. All of the developers know that Legends reacts to callouts. Sara hits retweet with comment. _What really happens here: Clarke smokes A and P, kills GLaDOS, and eats that damn cake before Chell can wake up from suspended animation. Hell, Clarke probably kills Chell too._ And retweet.

Whoever runs the account over at Valve must be thrilled with themselves. Over the course of the afternoon Sara periodically checks her retweet to see the numbers rise. She knows that many people are clicking back through to the original post, checking out Valve’s profile. A win for Legends is a win for Valve. Today, at any rate.

As the afternoon wears on, so does Sara’s patience with those posts from TBG. A couple more have come out, all vague and talking shit. Lance could kill Sharpe, make it as gruesome and rough as a beheading from Clarke.

Sara smiles as she pulls up LoA and turns on her recorder. A beheading. It’s not long before she has the perfect shot, three seconds of spinning in the air to separate an enemy’s head from her body. Sara transfers the file over and makes those three seconds into a gif.

_@TBGaming If you’re coming for Legends you should know we fight to kill._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dream of Portal 3.
> 
> *cough*
> 
> Anyway, what day is it? That's about where I am.
> 
> I hope you're staying safe and that this story is providing a bit of a distraction. And I hope you like it! If you do please let me know, 'cause your thoughts and comments have been a pleasant distraction for me.
> 
> Thanks for everything, readers.
> 
> <3


	5. War or Peace?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...a comment from Legends. Their official account. _go back to the incel bunker from whence you came, troll scum._
> 
> Ava wonders, not for the first time, about the Legends account manager. But this time she wonders if they’re a woman because damn.
> 
> \-------
> 
> [Sara] likes the back-and-forth of a brand war, wondering how strong the competition will push back before giving up. It is one of her favorite parts of the job. So no, she decides, she doesn’t hope that Ava will back off or that their interactions will change.
> 
> Not that they’ve interacted directly. Not since that night at the bar, and Ava doesn’t know who Sara is so that interaction doesn’t count. Not really.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava is curious about the Legends social media manager, and she posts her first TBG video where she speaks. Meanwhile, Sara has some confusing thoughts about Ava.

**Ava:**

Ava is mindlessly scrolling. Her thumb brushes periodically over her phone’s screen, pulling her further into the online universe. She pauses over a gif of Clarke Griffin, knife in hand. Most gamers arm with a gun throughout LoA; stealth isn’t always necessary and firepower is an unquestionable advantage in the world. The gif begins playing and Ava watches the character jump and spin, graceful as she slices the head off a baddie. She’s seen the image a number of times already but can’t help pausing at each retweet . Legends really does have an impressive and active fanbase.

For the thousandth time Ava thinks about the person behind Legends social media. She spins her chair to face her laptop, opens a new tab, and types into the search bar. She watches the gif on her phone again as the results load even though they take less than a second to populate.

_Legends video games employees_

A specific enough search. She scrolls through the results, seeing info about the founders and the higher ups. The Darhks are familiar to anyone in the gaming industry, and she moves past those results. After a minute or so she tags _marketing_ onto the search. There’s Jefferson Jackson, his Facebook page using the moniker Jax coming up first. He’s a respected illustrator in the industry and Ava is a little startled to see that he works both in game development and the marketing department. Then there’s Gideon Waves, a beautiful woman with dark hair and the type of expression that makes Ava think she knows a lot more than necessary for her job as a sales rep. Wally West doesn’t have a LinkedIn or Facebook but he does have Twitter and Instagram.

There’s nothing about the social media manager. Ava is three pages into the results before she scrolls up to edit the search. _Legends social media manager_

Not a lot of recent results. A couple of articles from rather small gamer publications claiming that the Legends social media manager is a bit of a mystery, someone who’s never been interviewed or even photographed for the company website. There are no links to social media, nothing that can clue Ava in to who this person could be. With a sigh she finds Damien Darkh’s LinkedIn and goes to his connections. She looks more at the job titles than at photos or names, but four pages later she’s got nothing. God.

Instagram, maybe. Wally West seems like the kind of employee to post pics of his coworkers online. She clicks over to his photos and begins scrolling. Food, cars, women, most with Wally’s arm around their shoulder or tucked against their waist. She can see the appeal, Wally has an easy smile on an open, honest face. She reads the captions even though none of those photos feel right and slumps in her chair when she realizes that she’s wasting her time.

The Legends social media manager, it seems, detests social media. At least on a personal level. Weird.

Ava clicks back to the gif from Legends. Maybe she’s wrong, anyway. The social media manager doesn’t have to be the person playing the game. Ava makes a quick copy of the gif and does a reverse image search for it. There are a lot of similar gifs featuring Clarke going full murder-face on enemies, but none quite like this one. None so steady and assured. Ava would love to game with whoever made this gif.

A poll. She could make a gif of Lexa annihilating that guard after jumping through the window, an epic shot by any measure, put it side-by-side with the one from LoA, and cover it all with a clearly competitive question. _Who killed it better?_

No. The two shots play side-by-side on her screen and she can’t honestly say that she’d vote for Lexa over Clarke. That spin and twist, resulting in a neat decapitation, would be hard to beat by any measure. Hard to make happen in game too.

No, the best plan going forward is to post the video she’s working on now, as planned, at midnight.

When Ava gets home she sets her alarm for five minutes after the post time. She doesn’t need to watch the video drop but she wants to see the reactions once they start rolling in. It’s the first video she’s done for TB Gaming where she plays as herself, with her own voice accompanying her actions as Lexa. Active followers of the company will know who she is already, but she can’t help feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing.

She’d thought about going live on Twitch but the immediate reactions to her gameplay might feel a little too personal her first time on.

When she wakes up she finds the comments rolling to be mostly positive, with only a few dudes making statements about fake gamer chicks. One guy writes that he doesn’t think she’s playing at all, that she’s just providing commentary over someone else’s work. The implication, of course, is that she’s talking over a gamer guy’s work. She feels a tightness in her chest, a desire to prove herself, but she knows two things. First, guys like WinnerWinnerDickDinner won’t change their minds and second, she’ll have plenty of opportunities to seem more active when she does begin going live on the TB Gaming Twitch channel.

The next morning, having run and showered, Ava takes another look at the video. She pauses for a second when she gets to some of the comments. Under the one from her favorite misogynist, mister Dicks for Dinner himself, is a comment from Legends. Their official account. _go back to the incel bunker from whence you came, troll scum._

Ava wonders, not for the first time, about the Legends account manager. But this time she wonders if they’re a woman, because damn. She hovers over the thumbs up for a moment. Accepting Legends’ voice against this asshat would feel great, but Ava is thinking about the message that would send Legends. She also wonders at the message Legends is trying to send her. With a shrug she clicks that thumb. Tomorrow Legends will know that this is still a fight even if they have each other's backs against trolls.

Tomorrow she’s posting another video on the TB Gaming page. She pulls up the illustration files from Gary and begins to put them into her video editor, ordering them to be a cohesive story. She smiles as she works, watching the clips form into a wonderfully specific burn.

Comradery against sexist pigboys aside, she is ready to own Legends.

**Sara:**

The drawing stalks across 2213’s landscape. It’s a sketch, filled with shadows that bring to mind sadness and vulnerability. No visible facial features, nothing that makes it clearly Clarke, but Sara knows. The movements are stilted and quick, and Sara knows. And so do those in the comments.

_d-d-daaaaaaamn callin legends out like they ain’t a thing!! im dead_

__

__

That has to be Clarke. Absolutely, no question. Oh my gawd.

_HAHAHA can’t believe the shade! 👀_

Sara needs to respond. The non-Clarke can’t get her weapons up in time to stop the assault from those who inhabit 2213. She lurches forward doggedly though, and by the end of the video she’s dropped to her knees. There’s no text, there doesn’t need to be. And the only sound is of a single piano note, playing each time non-Clarke suffers a blow. A different note does play twice, Sara realizes, when non-Clarke manages to land two feeble blows.

This video hurts. And it’s so well done.

Sara’s eyes shift to the description under the video.

_Some worlds are harder than others. The real challenge drops 6.12._

Sara blinks. Damien and Nora are right. Gideon is right. This Ava Sharpe is not someone to mess with. Sara has to respond at a level she normally doesn’t need.

Sara leaves Youtube for Instagram. Her comment in response to that dickwad doesn’t change the frosty dynamic that is building between Legends and TB Gaming. She knows that, and honestly she hadn’t expected Ava to see it at all, never mind give it a thumbs up. But maybe she’s hoping, somehow-

Why? Sara’s own thoughts cut herself off. She likes the back-and-forth of a brand war, wondering how strong the competition will push back before giving up. It is one of her favorite parts of the job. So no, she decides, she doesn’t hope that Ava will back off or that their interactions will change.

Not that they’ve interacted directly. Not since that night at the bar, and Ava doesn’t know who Sara is so that interaction doesn’t count. Not really.

With a shake of her head Sara begins scrolling through her Instagram. Legends has been tagged in a series of posts by TBG. She’s already seen the posts, they’re the stills and gifs associated with that damn video with the phrase _Not every gamer has to settle for Them._ Sara can’t believe people are still paying attention to that noise. It’s been almost a week.

Why are people are still paying attention? Normally posts are a drop in a moment, lifted and lauded by the masses for a shining period of time that seems to get shorter every day, then forgotten. New content comes out, new voices or controversies or people to stan. These pics shouldn’t still be a thing. Sara clicks on one of them to view the comments and immediately has an answer. Gamers are putting together that Legends and TBG are going to war and they see these posts as a catalyst.

Maybe she could use these posts to break Sharpe. Or at least the idea of them.

Sara scours the internet for memes she can use. Some are old - Success Kid, the toddler with the green and white shirt clutching his hand in triumph. Grumpy Cat. Good Guy Greg. Some are new - Tryin’ Todd, a guy in a bowler hat who’s holding up a whiteboard with a question mark written on it and a hopeful expression on his face. Rejected Rabbit, a wild bunny that’s standing alone, several other rabbits in the background facing away from it. Conflicted Lamp, a telephone pole with a streetlamp attached that's covered in papers about missing pets that weirdly form a happy face. Sara begins giving the memes words until she has fifteen that are pretty decent. She selects the best ten and starts setting them to post hours apart on Legends Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. She even creates a thread in the Legends subreddit for the memes. None of the memes or captions name TB Gaming directly.

This will draw Sharpe out. There’s no way someone as proud and accomplished as Ava will not respond. She might call out Legends before the first five post, Sara thinks. And when she does Sara will have her chance to lay flat TB Gaming, 2213, and whoever else takes their side in this fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is such a sleepy day. Rain is coming down and I'm feeling tempted to crawl back into bed. Instead I'm posting. Go me!
> 
> Also I've invented some memes in my head. Why not, right?
> 
> Also also my avatar is my cat. Her name is Rain.
> 
> Thanks for reading, giving kudos, and commenting. I appreciate you!
> 
> <3


	6. A Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sharpe shooter!” Gary holds up his hands, fingers cocked in imitation of guns, and goes pew-pew-pew as he shoots the air.
> 
> “Ok, ok.” Ava waves her hand in a settle down motion. “Now you see my plan though?”
> 
> “Yeah, but you’re gonna draw the ire of their assassin.” Rip’s expression is laughing despite the serious note to his voice.
> 
> “Oh come on,” Ava says. “I haven't even finished my second drink, you can’t convince me [Legends has] an actual assassin on staff.”
> 
> \-------
> 
> “She’s taunting me,” says Sara.
> 
> “Of course she is,” retorts Zari. “That’s kind of her job.”
> 
> Sara exhales in a rough way. She knows Gideon and Zari can hear her. “Why’s she so good at it?”
> 
> “I thought you liked a challenge?”
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava joins some coworkers for another night out and is lauded for her work. Meanwhile, Sara feels defeated before her friends remind her why they're a team.

**Ava:**

Konane and Mona couldn’t make it, but everyone else from two weeks back is at the bar. Ava has a beer in hand and is smiling at Gary as he describes some sketches of Lexa that he's showing her on his phone. He’s already trying to convince the designers to give Lexa new clothing and upgraded weaponry, and he’s using his illustrations to do it. Ava can’t help chuckling at the gumption of the attempt. Maybe Gary has more going on then she thought.

“And here we can put another knife for the player to equip.” Gary taps his own arm, up near his shoulder. Ava notices the slim handle on the illustrated Lexa’s arm.

“Lexa’s gonna be weighed down by all that metal,” says Rip. He punches Gary on the shoulder. “Let the poor woman alone until at least launch day, please.”

“I just think she can be better,” says Gary. But he’s smiling.

“We can all be better,” says Wilbur, looking at everyone in their group. “Doesn’t mean you have to draw it.”

“Ha ha.” Gary says. He locks his phone, hiding the seventh drawing that he’d been showing Ava.

“I think they’re good,” Ava says. “But right now I want to avoid thinking about work for a bit.”

“I’ll drink to that,” says Rip. He sips his beer and smiles at Ava. “And how have you found your second week among us?”

“You might want to ask how Legends has found her second week.” Wilbur laughs as he pulls out his phone. “Have you seen the way she’s going after them?”

“Some.” Rip takes the phone and scrolls down a bit. Ava wonders which platform he’s on until he swings the phone around to show the video of the not-quite-Clarke that Gary drew stalking across 2213’s world. “Shit,” he says. “This is savage and beautiful. I’m getting your next round.”

Ava grins. “Thank you boss.” She tips her glass to him and looks over his shoulder, through the bar. Most of the TVs are broadcasting a League of Legends match between two North American teams. They are both made up of white dudes and Ava couldn’t be less interested. She knows women gamers who are good enough, but like with most male-dominated fields the push back and harassment that comes with trying can be debilitating. Working in online marketing is enough to show her that much.

The rest of the bar is fairly crowded. Some couples, small groups. A few single guys by the bar. She’s pleased to see her fan from last time isn’t here.

Neither is that flirty blonde, she thinks.

“What do you have planned next?”

The question throws Ava for a second as she looks around to Wilbur. She is surprised not by his expectation that she’d have a plan, but by his interest. He left the socials in her hands, after all. “Oh, just a bit more gentle pushing for now. I have an end-game video designed for when we start sparring directly.”

“Oh my god you do?” Gary puts his elbows on the table, a grin that recalls the Cheshire Cat running across his face. “Show us!”

“I can’t just show you.” As Ava pushes his request away she puts a hand to her pocket, feeling her phone under the fabric. Technically she could just show them.

“Come on!” Gary looks to Rip. “Have her show us please.”

“If you can, do.” Rip shoves Gary’s shoulder again, playfully. “If you can’t we can see it on Monday.”

“Fine.” Ava pulls out her work phone and opens the shared video player. Anything saved on her computer is accessible here, and she knows that Rip is aware of that. It’s nice of him to give her an out in case the video needs some tweaking.

It doesn’t.

Ava holds the phone steady in front of her three coworkers and watches their expressions as the video plays out. During the first switch from Lexa to Clarke Rip raises an eyebrow, clearly interested. They start smiling as they watch, and Ava knows they’re impressed by her skills. She can tell when the characters jump through the window because Gary gasps, for some reason. He’s so freakin’ excitable. Rip reads the tagline aloud, then laughs.

“That’s badass, Sharpe.”

“Almost as badass as those moves you got out of Lexa!” Wilbur leans over for a high five which she gives him without hesitation.

“Why haven’t you posted it yet?” Rip’s tone belies how impressed he is, but Ava can sense it anyway.

“The channels aren’t ready for it yet,” says Ava. She takes her phone back and jumps into Twitter. “The tone of the platforms for TB has been light and professional for years.” She scrolls, not really reading any Tweets. “To come in with an attack, out of nowhere, would seem off-brand.”

“So you’re changing the-”

Ava cuts Rip off with a nod. “Tone, yes. I’ve started being more jokey and personable, but it’ll take time to get meaner. Professionally meaner, I mean. I’m already using a bit of sarcasm.”

“We noticed,” says Wilbur. He pulls up Instagram on his phone and passes it over to the larger group. “Check out her responses to these posts by Legends.”

The memes each have one response from TB Gaming, all posted within an hour of when the meme was posted. Ava has an alert on her phone, with a unique ringtone, for posts to any Legends social pages. Wilbur scrolls down to show Ava’s responses.

_This isn’t very clear, who are you talking about?_

_Vaguepost much?_

A few of her responses are just emojis or various gifs. Ava’s favorite is the one Wilbur shows last, a response to a meme that directly references a mysterious other. The gif is a closeup of a man wearing sunglasses that reflect an explosion. As the gif plays he moves closer to the viewer and the words _[it ain’t me intensifies]_ blink at the bottom. Ava doesn’t see the point of responding directly in anger when she can think through her options and choose the most infuriating one. And letting Legends know that she’s watching them, and that she knows what they’re doing, without giving them something to slam her with, seems like the ultimate revenge.

“I already knew I was shit at social media, but this content almost killed me,” says Wilbur.

“Sharpe shooter!” Gary holds up his hands, fingers cocked in imitation of guns, and goes pew-pew-pew as he shoots the air.

“Ok, ok.” Ava waves her hand in a settle down motion. “Now you see my plan though?”

“Yeah, but you’re gonna draw the ire of their assassin.” Rip’s expression is laughing despite the serious note to his voice.

“Oh come on,” Ava says. “I haven't even finished my second drink, you can’t convince me they have an actual assassin on staff.”

“Of course not,” says Rip. This time he truly lets out a laugh. “Your response gave Lance nothing to work with anyway, so don’t worry about it.” He takes a sip. “You should be proud.”

“Lance?”

“Like I said, don’t worry. Drink up.”

“Whatever, I can take ‘em.” Ava takes a longer sip of her beer, letting it sit on her tongue for a moment. “I’m wearing kevlar, boss.”

**Sara:**

The words are massive.

_Wait, what?_

_Who do you mean?_

_Care to be more specific, Legends?_

“Why did she write that?” Sara is sitting on the floor, one hand stretched up to touch Gideon’s TV screen. The side-by-side screenshots of the Instagram comments would be more manageable from the couch, where Gideon and Zari sit.

“She?” Gideon sips her drink, also staring at the comments left by TB Gaming.

“Ava Sharpe. Wally sent me her LinkedIn a couple weeks ago, she’s their new social media manager.” She let the pitch of her voice climb on the job title, mocking herself along with Ava.

“Seems obvious enough,” says Zari. “She wants to respond without giving you anything to use.”

“Good job on her then,” says Sara. She lets her hand fall and rocks back on her heels. “I had this big beautiful response in mind. I was going to really let her have it.”

“Hmm,” says Gideon. She opens her laptop and Sara watches her glance at the TV before she begins typing. “And now?”

“Hell if I know.” Sara rolls onto her back, setting her glass down on the floor near her head. The carpet isn’t deep but it’s a bit comforting anyway.

“You just need a new plan,” says Zari.

“And what do I do when that one doesn’t work?” Sara gestures to Gideon, who has the controller. “Can you go to our latest Insta post? The comments?”

“Of course.” Gideon clicks through and in a few moments goes back to typing. They’re now staring at the gif Sharpe posted. That knowing, sneering man with fire in his eyes.

“She’s taunting me,” says Sara.

“Of course she is,” retorts Zari. “That’s kind of her job.”

Sara exhales in a rough way. She knows Gideon and Zari can hear her. “Why’s she so good at it?”

“I thought you liked a challenge?” Anyone else wouldn’t have read Gideon as sarcastic but Sara recognizes the pointed tone.

“Fuck off.”

“You first.”

“Both of you stop,” says Zari. “You just need a new plan, like I said.”

“A new plan for her to ruin.”

“Sara.” Zari looks serious.

“Sorry.”

“Guys,” says Gideon. The screen on the TV changes, a little icon in the corner stating that Waverider G is connected. They’re staring at a word document with all of the responses from TB Gaming listed in order of posting. “I can add the memes that they posted last week too, anything that alludes to us.”

Sara rolls her eyes. “You always have to put everything in its proper place.”

“Shut up.” Gideon reaches over with her foot and taps Sara’s shoulder. “I’m not just organizing, I’m strategizing. And I have an idea.”

Sara sits up and turns back. “You do?”

“Yes. Will you listen?”

“C’mon Gid, tell us.” Zari swats a hand against Gideon’s arm.

“If we take all of the shit she’s been posting that is clearly about you and put it in a video, we can upload the biggest fuck you ever.”

“How is that a fuck you?” Zari isn’t following any better than Sara.

“Have all of their posts come on screen, one by one. They gradually overlay one another and build. Then at the end you write something calling them out, directly.”

That could work, thinks Sara. “Build up evidence and state a claim.”

“Ok.” Zari rubs a thumb over her bottom lip. “So what’s the claim?”.

“I don’t know, eat shit for vagueposting?”

“No,” says Sara. “‘Feeling paranoid, TB Gaming?’”

“Ooooo, says Gideon.

Zari smiles. 

“Can I borrow your laptop, Gideon?” asks Sara.

“Any time.” Gideon hands it over as Sara scoots back to lean against the couch.

“Are you going to put music behind it?” Zari leans forward to watch Sara sort through and save stills and gifs posted by TBG. She even delves into comments they’ve left, trying to gather as many as possible, and saving each piece by date.

“Music?” Gideon stands up and steps towards the door. “I got you.” She comes back a minute later with a keyboard. Sara continues to focus on her work as Gideon plays out a few spontaneous runs, messing around and trying to find something with the right feel.

“Is that Mad World?” Zari smirks at Gideon.

“No. Maybe.” Gideon plays the intro again. “Sometimes I like to play songs I love for inspiration.”

“I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad,” says Sara.

“What?”

“God Gideon, those are lyrics to the song.” Sara laughs as she continues to gather her evidence of TB Gaming’s nerves.

“Shut up, you know I’m more about the music itself.” Gideon starts playing around again as Sara zones out a bit, getting into the rhythm of her own work.

The three friends sit in silence, save for the melodies escaping Gideon’s hands and Zari’s occasional murmur. Her focus shifts between her two friends, knowing that both are capable of completing their tasks without help yet not feeling like a burden. Zari has a great deal of experience in this exact situation with these two people. Sara remembers, one drunken night, when Zari said she is always reminded of the genius of her friends and filled with pride as she watches them work.

Sara still sometimes gives her a good dose of dismissive sarcasm for that comment.

“Ok ok. Z, Sara, what do you think of this?”

Sara looks up to watch Gideon play, her hands heavier on the keys than usual. She beats out a slow measure, then a bit faster, then back to slow. The changing pace gives the deep notes some urgency that would otherwise be missing, and Sara thinks it’s perfect for the type of video she’s creating. A little ominous and also almost sarcastic.

“That’s perfect,” says Sara. Zari nods in agreement, a smile on her face.

“Great!” I’ll go record it.” Gideon stands, taking her keyboard with her, and disappears into another part of the apartment. Sara knows that she’s going into the soundproof music room next to her bedroom. What some people would call an office Gideon, as an aspiring musician and nerd, refers to her as her Jam Fabricator.

“You pay her for shit like that, right?” Zari asks when Gideon is out of the room.

“Yes,” says Sara. “I had it put into the marketing budget after the first time she made one. She was mad initially, but I told her not to be stupid. We’d pay any outside musicians too.”

“Damn straight.” Zari looks at the screen in front of Sara. “Can I see what you have so far?”

“Sure.” Sara presses a couple of keys and maximizes the screen. The visuals are the various posts from TB Gaming, including a small non-Clarke walking through the bottom of the screen throughout the video. Without any overlaying sound in the background it feels discordant. There are a couple of places where the screen goes blank between clips too, save for non-Clarke. During the first such space Sara says, “I’m going to put a gif they shared there.”

As the video ends Zari shakes her head. “If you post this, that Sharpe person might never talk about Legends ever again. Even to herself.”

“Do you think it’s that vicious?” Sara has made worse. Far, far worse.

“No, it’s so professional. Looks like Legends paid someone to make it.”

Sara laughs. “They are paying someone. Me.”

“Right.”

Sara leans forward and begins working again, occasionally talking to Zari about the project. By the time Gideon comes back, keyboard gone, Sara is typing out her final line.

“Check it.” Gideon sits on the couch, leans over Sara’s shoulder, and gestures for Sara to relinquish control of the laptop. Soon she has her email up and is opening a file. The song is perfect, Sara thinks again. She takes over, placing the song into the video that she’s put together. With some tweaks to line up the soundtrack and the changing images, Sara feels like this is a job complete.

Gideon shares her laptop screen with her TV again and they all watch the piece play in its entirety. Sara smiles, thinking that there’s no way Ava Sharpe will see this coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy today!
> 
> Sara and Ava are still dancing around one another, but they will start talking soon. Kinda soon. I promise. Please let me know what you think. I feel ok about this chapter. Better than the last couple, at any rate.
> 
> The song mentioned is Mad World, the Gary Jules cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4
> 
> Thank you for your thoughts, kudos, and for reading along.
> 
> <3


	7. A DM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Ava] also sees a few fleeting comments that mention Legends, causing her to smile as she plays. People are intrigued.
> 
> _R U GOING TO RESPOND?!_
> 
> _legends calling out and tb keeping quiet like a BOSS_
> 
> _This is why I STAN TBG, right here. OMG GUY BEHIND YOU_
> 
> Ava swings her sword, which is curved and has a shimmering tint of green to the blade, behind her without looking.
> 
> \-------
> 
> If more videos hadn’t come out, posts with Sharpe’s unique messaging and tone, Sara might think something happened to the woman. Not that she’d be bothered. Well, she would, but only because she enjoys the back-and-forth.
> 
> Sara shouldn’t check Twitter again. She has other work to do, and she’s already checked it four times this morning. Sara knows she’s never spent this much time on a competitor’s socials.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava does her first livestream. Meanwhile, Sara is having a hard time staying off TB Gaming's socials.

**Ava:**

Brrrrrph. Brrrrrrph.

Ava stretches out a hand to her vibrating phone. She taps the most recent notification.

_Video Game Insults Tweeted:  
Oh My G.O.D. @Legends CALLING OUT @TBGaming for reeeeeeal._

Yes, thinks Ava. She clicks the embedded youtube video and isn’t surprised to see the Legends page. She is surprised to see her own words all over the posted video. There’s nothing new aside from the soundtrack, which is a pulsing piano accompaniment. It makes Ava think of pressure building and releasing, coming closer and taking a step back. The video goes black for a beat. Then red words appear.

_Spill the TEA tbg - why you so paranoid?_

The final shot is the gif that reads _[it ain’t me intensifies]._ The music builds, then stops when you expect it to continue. New writing appears. _It’s always been you, babe._

Ava snorts. Babe? Really?

Replying would be easy. Type some snark about expected retorts missing their targets or not being anyone’s babe. But that would kind of miss the point of starting this fight, no? Ava hooks her thumbs into her jeans and sits back in her chair. She wants to win followers, not fall into a third grade insult war. And this video proves that Lance has seen all of Ava’s replies, even those not directed at their account. They’ve been watching TB Gaming’s socials as closely as Ava’s been watching Legends. Now Ava has the upper hand.

Ok, maybe this will be like a fight between eight-year-olds. Hell, maybe the social media manager for Legends is eight. Ava smirks.

For now she can distract herself until she devises the perfect reply. She has other posts to send out, new videos to make, and her first live stream to start. Plenty of distractions, Ava tells herself. Not that she needs to be distracted.

Stupid Legends. Stupid ‘babe’. Stupider Ava. Ugh. She wishes she could find that flirty blonde from her first night at that gaming bar for a proper distraction.

Ava checks her phone. She needs to start playing 2213 if she wants to stream at the time she posted on Discord. She’s gotta shake off this mood. Lexa is always helpful, what with her ability to punch out Ava’s frustrations. Ava starts playing with complete disregard for Lexa’s life. She makes risky jumps and attacks while ill-equipped, knowing that the violence of the game will temper her own emotions. Soon she finds herself falling into her usual choices, moving Lexa in a way that both helps her survive and kills her enemies. Twenty minutes later, Ava is read. She opens Twitch to select 2213. At the title screen she pauses. Normally she names her streams based on the name of the game and how long she intends to play, but mixing it up is too tempting.

_The TBG Tea_

Fucking Legends.

Without addressing the title Ava starts the stream, greeting her viewers while moving Lexa through the world of 2213. She starts with a basic tutorial on the skill set that Lexa possesses, then begins accepting and acting on various missions. Comments start pouring in as she’s playing, asking her thoughts on the game and how long she’s had a copy and what in-game ability she likes the best. There are comments on her voice, ranging from _omg you could talk to me all day_ to _U sound like a choked ChiCkeN_ , but Ava ignores those assholes. She also sees a few fleeting comments that mention Legends, causing her to smile as she plays. People are intrigued.

_R U GOING TO RESPOND?!_

_legends calling out and tb keeping quiet like a BOSS_

_This is why I STAN TBG, right here. OMG GUY BEHIND YOU_

Ava swings her sword, which is curved and has a shimmering tint of green to the blade, behind her without looking. She turns a second after the groan of her enemy sounds to watch him flail before falling forward. When he raises his own sword Ava laughs. She takes it from him, by the hilt, and hits him with it as she pulls her original sword from his shoulder.

“Now I have two,” says Ava. She holsters hers and keeps the new one in hand while reading the comments.

_YAAAAAS QUEEN_

_How did you even--- ☠️_

_r u fuckn kidding that’s so basic_

Ava fights the urge to snort at that last comment. Arrogant dickwad. She starts talking about how different the game will be when the online package is up, and tells the viewers to keep an eye out for her avatar after the game comes out. She tells people to type questions they have while she plays, and is quiet while she waits for the first couple to come in. She probably misses some as she moves Lexa to a building where she can sit for a minute to read the questions.

“‘Fav part of 2213,’” Ava reads aloud. “Oh, easily the choices. And often it’s not as simple as talk or shoot, it involves noting the surroundings and making a plan. But if I’m having a bad day I can still just shoot the shit out of people.” Possibly to illustrate her pulls out a small knife and gestures to a man feeding some cows. He is within range of a skilled knife throw. She has Lexa gesture as though about to throw, then laughs as she pockets the blade.

“Next. ‘Do you have a personal account?’ Well, honestly I’d would be shocked if everyone running brand channels didn’t have their own accounts. I’ve been a gamer for life and sometimes I want to crusade with my friends. Or, you know, play Red Dead and join a posse of people I’ve never met IRL. Maybe you’ve played with me already.” She raises her eyebrows at this last comment even though the viewers can’t see her.

Ava ignores the avalanche of people asking for her personal handle as she runs to the dairy farmer and offers to buy his cow. She has enough cash to match his price but backs out, explaining why as she does. “I wanted to know what he’d charge. I know there are cows for cheaper elsewhere. And anyway, I haven’t freed all the worker clones in this section yet. I don’t want to keep track of a damn cow too.”

“Okay,’ Ava says as she looks at the questions again. “Hmmm. Thanks Smithyex, I’m glad you like my logic. Hmmm. Not a lot of questions here. Oh! Here’s one. ‘Do you play LoA?’” Ava pauses before responding, taking the opportunity to slam a stack of crates with a chest balanced on top. The chest teeters, so she slams it again. “Of course I’ve played it,” she says. “Who hasn’t?” She glances at the comments again as the chest falls. “‘But do you play it now?’ I’ve been pretty busy with 2213 so no, I don’t play it now.” Ava smirks at the lie. “And I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

Ava moves Lexa to open the chest, revealing a shot glass of reckless energy. If she drinks this she’ll be given more conversation options but her reaction time with physical altercations will be slower.

“I can answer one more question.” Ava scans the comments as Lexa downs the shot.

_What’s your response to Legends?_

_Do you really not play LoA? BEST GAME._

_r u kidding? y not play loa._

_title’s gotta be about legends, no way its not._

“If you’re just gonna ask about Legends then I’m not answering any more questions.” Ava leaves the barn and moves Lexa down a steep hill. She takes her knife out when she sees an armed woman standing by a tree. “Ok perfect. ‘Why did you choose a sword and knives as your main weapons?’ I like the challenge of a knife. With a gun I could stop halfway up that hill, duck behind that pine, and waste this chick. But now I have to get closer. When I’m closer I notice more and, well, I die more too.”

Without another word Ava creeps Lexa closer to the woman. She sneaks up to the tree, on the other side of the trunk from her prey. To talk or to kill. She sneaks an arm around the tree and grabs the woman’s shoulder, pulling her towards Lexa. The woman has her own knife, which she stabs at Ava’s character. Lexa dodges, but barely, and slams her own knife into the NPC. With a gasp Lexa is stabbed too, and Ava watches both characters drop to their knees, holding one another’s arms and the embedded knives.

 _i’m so gay,_ someone writes.

“Well,” says Ava. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Have a good day everyone.” And on that note she logs off.

**Sara:**

How can there be no response?

Sara clicks over to Reddit. She slumps when she realizes it’s like Discord. There are people talking about the video Legends put out, even four days later, but there’s no word from TB Gaming. The closest Sara can find to a response is the title of that Twitch stream Sharpe did the day the video dropped. _The TBG Tea_ , a vague reference. Nowhere in the video did Sharpe address Legends, outside of a few comments responding to direct questions. She stated she doesn’t play LoA, but Sara thinks she has to be lying. There’s no way a dedicated gamer who works in the industry would avoid LoA. Impossible.

If more videos hadn’t come out, posts with Sharpe’s unique messaging and tone, Sara might think something happened to the woman. Not that she’d be bothered. Well, she would, but only because she enjoys the back-and-forth. Right?

Sara shouldn’t check Twitter again. She has other work to do, and she’s already checked it four times this morning. Sara knows she’s never spent this much time on a competitor’s socials. She has analytics to check. A campaign for one of their other games to iron out. And she’s made little progress with those advances Ray gave her. Normally by now she would have an entire promo sectioned out so when it was officially announced as marketable to the team she’d be pretty much ready to go, save last-minute tweaks based on how the updates turn out.

This fight is cutting into the other parts of her job, Sara realizes. Shit.

Sara shifts gears. She puts her phone to the side and takes out the three pieces of paper from Ray, intent on getting serious. She is able to focus, only glancing at her phone a few times over the next couple hours. When she does pick up her phone again she has a specific promotional method layed out, complete with terrible rough sketches that she can send to Jax for him to laugh at and then recreated. Now she opens Twitter, telling herself that she can look for five minutes before she must return to her current project. The text for her campaign won’t write itself.

That little envelope in the bottom right corner catches her eye. She hasn’t looked through her DMs yet today, a task she usually does once in the morning and once at night. She clicks it, expecting the usual trolls, messages from people she’s interacted with in the past, and a mix of thoughts from fans or people who want to get into her line of work. What she doesn’t expect is a DM from Ava Sharpe.

_TB Gaming_  
_@TBGaming  
😘_

Sara stares at her screen. Sharpe sent her a kissy face emoji. Why? She wants to throw her phone, just for a moment. To see it hit the wall and break apart, although she’d probably only scratch her screen and pop the battery out. Instead she puts the phone on her desk with more force than usual and turns back to her project.

Words, she thinks. She needs to build this promotional content. She flips over the page she’s staring at to eye the illustrations she’s drafted. There’s nothing about the picture that feels off, aside from her lack of art skills. The concept is good, the idea clear, yet she feels like it’s a miss. She wants to rip the sheet, to start fresh and make something that will be more serious. More cutting and cruel towards- what?

TB Gaming.

This has nothing to do with them, but they’re in Sara’s head.

Why would Sharpe send that ridiculous emoji?

Sara picks up her phone and opens Twitter again to look at the message. Nothing else, just the emoji. She could respond. Ask why, or send a random emoji back. Because the choice of emoji must be random. Unless it’s not. TBG could be going on the offensive. Firing back in a way that would warrant a snarky, gloaty, pre-fire message. Sara opens a new window on her laptop, then creates new tabs for each of TBG’s socials. Nothing on Twitter. Instagram. Reddit. Discord. Snapchat. Twitch. Youtube. Nothing. Sara starts the cycle again, then picks up her phone.

_Sara, 11:48 AM: gideon, tbg slid into my dms_

_Gideon, 11:59 AM: Wait, what?_

_Sara, 11:59 AM: look._

Sara takes a quick screenshot of the message from Sharpe and sends it over.

_Sara, 11:59 AM: 😕 i’m confused_

_Gideon, 12:00 PM: Me too? Like, what’s the point of that?_

_Sara, 12:00 PM: idk. they’ve left legends alone since i posted that vid and idk what their plan is now_

_Gideon, 12:01 PM: You have no ideas?_

_Sara, 12:03 PM: well. maybe she’ll drop something today and that was a threat or something but_

_Gideon, 12:03 PM: Hmm, that would make sense. I guess all you can do is wait and see._

_Sara, 12:03 PM: i could respond?_

_Gideon, 12:03 PM: . . ._

_Gideon, 12:05 PM: I don’t know what you should say._

_Sara, 12:05 PM: me neither._

_Sara, 12:06 PM: i guess u’re right, i should wait._

_Gideon, 12:06 PM: Sorry 😬_

_Sara, 12:06 PM: thanks anyway gid ❤️_

Talking to Gideon helps. Sara takes another look at the sketch she cobbled together for Jax and sighs. It’s not bad, aside from the lack of artistic talent. She flips it over, to her larger plan, and begins writing text to go with the promotional statement she’s created. She can do this, she tells herself, and she does.

It’s almost four when she sends off a picture of the sketch to Jax. He’ll put it at the bottom of his pile but it’ll still be done before the marketing team gets the announcement about the update. Jax never asks Sara where she gets her intel and neither of the Darhks wonder how the marketing team can respond to changes so quickly.

Time for some food. Sara moves from her desk, which she’d pulled into a standing position a couple hours earlier, and heads to the kitchen. She pauses at the doorway before turning around to grab her phone. Rice, she thinks. Fry up some veggies, make a proper stir fry. She’s getting out a pot for the rice when her phone goes off. The tone is that high-pitched annoying one she set for any time TB Gaming tags Legends.

Youtube.

Sara is still holding the pot as the video begins to play. There is a true image of Clarke, in her own world. Sara blinks. Is this a video of someone from TB Gaming playing League of Assassins? Now that takes balls. Sara watches as Clarke becomes Lexa, who climbs a wall and balances at the top. She turns back into Clarke as the video proceeds, going back and forth between the two characters. Sara can’t deny, again, that the player does have skill. But the shots of Clarke are dull, she’s just running. Lexa is crouching and sneaking, balancing and clearly in some sort of danger. When Clarke jumps through a paneless window Sara holds her breath. The character becomes Lexa again and takes out a man with expert reflexes.

But Sara knows this room. This is where that other video comes from. ‘Them.’ Sure enough Lexa turns to a second guard and aims at his heat. The frame freezes and text shows up. _LoA isn’t a bad game, but 2213 is a hell of a lot better._

Sara can’t breathe. She pulls the progress bar back to the beginning of the video to replay it before the ending ad. This is professional. Wilbur Bennett would have never pulled something like this together, and Sara can’t help this feeling in her bones that it was completed by Sharpe. The editing, the gameplay, all of it. And honestly she’s impressed. The video doesn't look like two competing games spliced together, there’s nothing messy about it. And even the scene cuts are intentional, only occurring when both Clarke and Lexa are in a position that benefits that feel of the video.

Sara wants to reply to Ava’s DM but she doesn’t know what to say. She needs time to think. To catch her breath. She pulls the progress bar back again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> Are you still reading this? Do you like it?
> 
> Thanks, and I hope you're doing well.
> 
> <3


	8. 🦴

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Ava] doesn’t really know why she sent that emoji to Legends. Normally she wouldn’t engage directly, and she knows that she shouldn’t have done so this time either. But there is something about this fight that makes her want to discomfort the person running that account, and she feels like that emoji did just the trick.
> 
> \-------
> 
>  _TB Gaming @TBGaming_  
>  Are you a secret 2213 fan?  
> 1:10 AM
> 
> Sara chuckles to herself, ignoring the game to stare at Ava’s question. If she is being honest she’ll say yes. If she’s being flirty she’ll say only when Ava plays.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava makes a new video and thinks about baiting the Legends. Again. Meanwhile, Sara watches some gamers she's never seen play LoA while have a discussion with the last person she's expecting.

**Ava:**

“I love that this character can move quickly regardless of what she’s doing. Even in a crouch I can shuffle fast or slow. Maybe it’ll get me killed but who cares? At least I’ll die at my own pace.” The screen shows the gamer doing just that, rushing Lexa forward into the barrel of the enemy’s gun. He laughs as Lexa falls and the death screen plays out. “What a good finish.”

“What is the meaning of this!” This gamer doesn’t seem to speak at a normal volume. Ever. “How dare you, sir, try to shoot me after I gave you- Ah, bastard! Now I’m dead. See if I try to talk to him next time. Geeze.” The character respawns feet from where she died and watches her killer loot Lexa’s body. Slowly the gamer raises her gun, aimes, and kills her own murderer.

“I wonder if I can still see him while crawling backwards? Yes? That’s, you know, that’s pretty cool.” The guy talking moves Lexa backwards, turns, and shuffles, still backwards, towards the enemy. The sword is visible for a couple of seconds before it kills Lexa and the gamer chuckles. “Saw that coming, don’t care.”

The videos that Ava is splicing together don’t work seamlessly, but they’re not meant to be perfect. Ava gives the whole a sense of cohesion by putting the name of each gamer in the top right corner as they play, but otherwise she leaves them alone. They’re all Let’s Plays of the 2213 demo sent out this past week, and all of the gamers are youtubers or Twitch users with over a million views. She’ll link to their work in the end scene and in the description, a promise she made when asking for permission to feature their work.

The end of the video is Ava’s favorite part. She starts with one gamer playing near the end of the demo pack. Then that video shrinks by half and another pops up, next to and the same size as the first, of a second player at the same spot. Ava adds in a third player, then a fourth. She blocks out all but one person’s audio at different times as they play. This creates a sort of disjointed banter that gives the video a cooperative feel while maintaining each player’s unique style. Within two minutes the screen shows six gamers, all of featured earlier in the video. She disables sounds one by one until only the best audio in each moment plays over the video, a medley of their commentary. Some gamers provide full sentences while others give little more than yells or laughter. Finally the video is done. The only step to before posting is to watch it through for any errors. First, though, she needs to think about something else. Her editing is always better with fresh eyes.

Ava opens Youtube and goes to TB Gaming’s page. At the top is Ava’s most recent video, the splice of Clarke and Lexa running through their separate worlds. She clicks the video into its own tab, pauses at the start of the ad, and scrolls down. The comments are always a mess, giving her a bit of a break from her self-imposed expectations. A check-in that realigns her sense of self-importance. This is a game, the players are ridiculous, and it’s fun.

Most of the comments are about the back-and-forth between TBG and Legends, predictably. Ava snorts when she reads that someone thinks the two companies collaborated on this video. _No one can be that good at both games._

Right, Ava thinks. She continues reading.

_sneakybaseturd 3 hours ago  
if whoever runs these accounts are a guy and a gurl they should 🦴_

_GrammerGamer 3 hours ago  
I say even if they’re two guys or two girls they should bone._

_URMaaaahm 2 hours ago  
GAY_

_Sneakybaseturd 1 hour ago  
no shit, who cares? my point stands_

_Marvin Matthews 48 minutes ago  
gaaaaaaaaaayyyy_

Ava laughs aloud as she remembers Legends calling TB Gaming ‘babe.’ The kissy face emoji. She laughs harder. If these people could see that message they’d lose their shit. Use it as proof that Ava and whoever the hell Lance is are meant to be. Or at least meant to bone. For a second Ava pauses in her reading. She doesn’t really know why she sent that emoji to Legends. Normally she wouldn’t engage directly, and she knows that she shouldn’t have done so this time either. But there is something about this fight that makes her want to discomfort the person running that account, and she feels like that emoji did exactly that perfectly.

Ava gives up the reading. She watches her new video twice, making edits that give it a smoother, more polished feel. She uploads the video to Youtube, then takes the last scene with all of the gamers on screen attempting the same end with a variety of tactics, and makes it into a gif.

_TB Gaming @TBGaming  
@MerriamWebster: A new definition for chaos: When there are too many ways to complete a mission._

She embeds the link to the Youtube video and hits Tweet. In a matter of seconds the likes start pouring in and Ava sits back in her chair with a smile.

The first couple comment pop up when she refreshes the page. _Nothing about LoA? Or Legends? What kinda war is this!_ Ava rolls her eyes. Gamers can be so predictable. She does wonder, for a brief moment, if she should have included something about Legends. Or a little nod that only the social manager would have noticed.

_Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster  
Replying to @TBGaming  
That’s not how adding words to the dictionary works, usually. But perhaps an exception could be made for a well-placed copy of 2213…? Don’t tell my boss or @Legends._

And now Legends is tagged. Ava chuckles at the absurdity of another brand account tying TBG and Legends together in this thread.

Ava wants to refresh. Legends will respond soon, they always do. And Ava wants to be see their response right away, but fighting with Legends isn’t her only job. She likes the comment from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and opens a new tab to check her analytics. TB Gaming numbers across all social media platforms started rising a bit after her first few posts, but since the video of non-Clarke in 2213’s landscape the growth has been wonderful. She pulls open her spreadsheet of interactions and follower data to input the most recent information, making sure the document autosaves before closing the page. She should close Twitter too. Ava hits refresh and scrolls down to that comment from the dictionary. There’s no response from Legends, although there are tons from other users.

_Charlie @ClothoLoco  
Replying to @MerriamWebster  
OMG does the freakin’ DICTIONARY ship them too? Who am I kidding how can they not?? WORDS KNOW._

_Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster  
Replying to @ClothoLoco  
We ship them IF we get a shiny copy of 2213.  
Also did you know this use of ship is in Merriam-Webster?_

This is getting out of control. Ava leaves the thread without commenting or liking anything. She’s about to close Twitter when she notices the DM envelope. Fine, Ava thinks.

The most recent message isn’t from a fan.

_Legends LoA @Legends_

A screenshot of the video Ava posted that pits Clarke against Lexa, showing the text that Ava added. The second half of the sentence is underlined in red: 2213 is a hell of a lot better.

 _u wish, sweetie_  
2:03 PM

Ava reads the message three times, her fingers poised over the keyboard. She could reply. She should reply. She closes her laptop.

**Sara:**

The distinctive tone wakes Sara. She rolls over and grabs her phone, knowing it’s that damn woman. She opens Twitter and goes to her messages. It’s too late, or early, to deal with snark.

_TB Gaming @TBGaming  
Did you see this?  
12:56 AM_

There’s a link. Sara clicks on it and waits for the Twitch page to load. It’s a live stream of LoA. Interesting. She gets her headphones from her nightstand and pushes them into her ears, not wanting to disturb the quiet of her bedroom. There are three women playing as Clarke Griffin, Finn Collins, and Raven Reyes. The women have formed a raiding party, an option that’s only available in online multiplayer. It’s one of the few parts of the game where the object is to disarm and steal, not to kill. Sara knows raids can be significantly harder and require more finesse than the assassin missions.

“I tried to get my brother to run a raid with me last week but he said he’d rather do an assassin case. He said they’re more challenging.”

“That’s bullshit, the raids are harder,” says another woman. Her voice is a bit lower, more serious.

“That’s what I told him, Nat.”

“What’d you do Psyche?” The third woman speaks higher than Psyche and Nat, and has a note to her tone that brings laughter to mind.

“I told him to fuck off, then joined him anyway. I wasted two more NPCs then he did.”

Sara looks to the bottom of the screen. Less than three thousand viewers. She sits up and grabs her laptop from the nightstand, pausing the video on her phone, switching the headphones over, and pulling the video up on her laptop. As the women play she opens a new tab to check out their main channel. Under ten thousand subscribers. Sara clicks back over to watch. The main character on screen is Clarke, holding a knife. She walks casually over to a building as Sara picks up her phone.

_Legends LoA @Legends  
what r u, a secret LoA fan?  
1:02 AM_

Sara puts down the phone. She and Ava have never had an actual conversation through DMs. Sara watches Clarke meet up with Raven as her phone lights up. Huh.

_TB Gaming @TBGaming  
You know I must plead the 5th on that.  
1:03 AM_

_Legends LoA @Legends  
😂_

For good measure Sara hits the small heart plus symbol under Sharpe’s words to attach a laughing face emoji to Ava’s message. She goes back to the video. The women make quick work of the first section of the raid, entering a mine and sneaking past three guards. More importantly and impressively, they’re working as a team. Communicating with intention and listening to one another. Sharing ideas.

_TB Gaming @TBGaming  
Are you a secret 2213 fan?  
1:10 AM_

Sara chuckles to herself, ignoring the game to stare at Ava’s question. If she is being honest she’ll say yes. If she’s being flirty she’ll say only when Ava plays. Instead she sends back a gif featuring that famous movie quote: _You can’t HANDLE the truth!_ She waits a few moments before putting down her phone to watch the live stream. The group is talking about something besides the moves they’re making on screen.

“Are you going to play it?” The woman called Psyche asks.

“Yeah, duh.” Nat sounds like the question shouldn’t have been asked, the answer’s so obvious.

“Of course,” says the unknown gamer. “Who isn’t? Plus with the feud that’s building between TB and Legends it’s like, what’s not to love.”

“I know, I’d die for a good brand dispute.”

Sara grabs her phone with a chuckle.

_Legends LoA @Legends  
talking about ur game but playing mine. brutal.  
1:14 AM_

She realizes, after she hits send, that she doesn’t know if Ava’s still watching. She probably sent the link and left. Oh well. Sara holds onto her phone as she looks back to the stream.

_TB Gaming @TBGaming  
Gamers can never focus on what they’re doing._

Sara watches as those three dots indicating that Ava's typing appear.

_Can I ask you something?  
1:18 AM_

Sara sends back the shrug emoji. It’s not like she’s obligated to answer.

_TB Gaming @TBGaming  
Are you Lance?  
1:19 AM_

_Legends LoA @Legends  
r u sharpe?  
1:21 AM_

_TB Gaming @TBGaming  
Yes._

Sara’s expected to answer now. Her name isn’t on anything related to Legends, League of Assassins, or any other games they put out. She likes her private life private, and as the runner of a rather sarcastic account is a bit worried about getting doxed. She knows that Ava must have heard her last name from Rip. He’s the only connection between Legends and TB Gaming. No one talks about when he used to work for Legends, but some still think of his departure as a betrayal. Sara knows Rip’s actions for what they truly were, a business opportunity. And he’s kept Sara’s name away from the socials, so she’s never held hard feelings towards him. Can she trust this stranger to keep her name quiet too?

Rip does, evidently.

_Legends LoA @Legends  
yup, but i typically answer to sara_

Sara puts down the phone. This is too personal, the conversation needs to stop. She flips her phone over, screen down. The game on the laptop continues. She smiles when she sees a comment on the live stream pop up from TB Gaming. _I’d love to see you ladies play 2213._

It’s a smart move. If Sara boosts this channel before they play 2213 she’ll be helping to expand that game’s reach with new viewers and, undoubtedly, new players. She feels, for a moment, tempted to click off the stream and go to bed. Instead she stays up and watches the women completely kick ass during this raid. They get all of the loot, harm their adversaries without killing them, and finish by playing a word-association game that’s built around what they encounter in-game. It’s funny and inappropriate and endearing. Before Sara puts her laptop away she sends a message to the three women.

_saw u kill it on twitch tonight. r u interested in playing live w/ me on the legends’ page?  
we’d feature ur channel and encourage our fans to watch u play.  
no pressure either way. keep rocking.  
legends 🎮_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we get some honest conversation! Well, conversational DMs, anyway. About time, right?  
> I've had a lot of fun thinking about how each character might interact in these conversations, and who would cave in their desire to talk first. Let me know what you think!
> 
> And thanks for the comments and kudos, as always. I really enjoy the feedback. It's nice to read that something I'm putting out there is being appreciated. 😊
> 
> Also who knew that an emoji could be a chapter title?!?
> 
> Now I'm off to watch the most recent episode of Legends. Have a great day!
> 
> <3


	9. Gamers at Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava swivels her camera around to take in her team and notes the detail with which the clothing is created. The wrinkles move with the motion of the fabric in a way that seems real. Some of the girls in the group have long hair too, a feat in itself in the difficult world of coding.
> 
> Ava wonders, for a moment, what Sara Lance’s hair looks like.
> 
> \-------
> 
> “I’m surprised you play as Clarke.”
> 
> “Of course I do,” says the cloaked person. Probably not Ava. “I’m surprised you don’t.”
> 
> “Raven’s hot,” Sara says.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava is playing LoA on her private account when she receives an unexpected message. Meanwhile, Sara frets while playing her own game, wondering if she's making the right choices.

**Ava:**

Ava’s personalized version of Clarke has a grin on her digital face as she wanders towards her compatriots. Ava’s moving her quickly, faster than necessary, but she’s excited to start the mission. This has always been a way to relax for Ava, especially on a lazy Saturday morning. Jumping into a game and joining a group of people she’s never played with, having them be surprised by her skill and her level. This is, however, the first time she’s playing with a voice changer.

Wouldn’t want anyone to recognize her voice in LoA now that she reps 2213.

The voice changer does keep her tone feminine though, so she still gets all the sexism and disbelief that she has become accustomed to over the years. Thank god too, she thinks with all her sarcasm. What kind of player would she be without the biting sting of hatred from some of her fellows?

“You gonna slow down so we can plan?”

The voice is male, but playful. She rolls her eyes as she skids Clarke to a stop. “Ready whenever,” she says.

“We’ll be ready when we have a plan,” says another guy. He must be the one playing the large custom character, the kind of man who looks like a joke about true masculinity.

“Shut your loose trap, Jack.” The original speaker says.

Ava likes the rough way the players of this game talk to one another. She wonders, not for the first time, if Lance bases her social media presence on the tone set by the players or if they pick it up from the socials. Or maybe both occurred simultaneously.

Sara, Ava thinks. Sara Lance. She has already searched for the name, and while she didn’t find any pictures that could be definitively linked to Legends she did find an old article about a high school student named Sara Lance who won a few gaming competitions. Ava knows the articles only exist because Sara is female, but she feels a bit grateful anyway. Despite the lack of pictures.

As Ava settles into the team she takes in the graphics and gameplay. League of Assassins has long been one of her favorite worlds, even back when the characters were pixelated, blurred, and dull in that old video game graphics fashion. Now she watches a bird fly overhead and knows that if she shot it the fallen creature would have detailed plumage. She swivels her camera around to take in her team and notes the detail with which the clothing is created. The wrinkles move with the motion of the fabric in a way that seems real. Some of the girls in the group have long hair too, a feat in itself in the difficult world of coding.

Ava wonders, for a moment, what Sara Lance’s hair looks like. She steps Clarke to the side as she tries to guess its color. Not that she’ll ever know.

“Sharper!” Ava jumps at the yell in her ear. Half her handle, SharperDirectives. Jack catches her attention, pulling her back into the game half a second before an ax is buried in her skull. Damn it.

“Great,” Ava says. She waits through the slow-mo death scene and wonders where she’ll respawn. It doesn’t matter what color Lance’s hair is, but it’d be cool if Ava could recreate that beheading Sara made into a gif. Ava respawns a good two miles from her team and starts running. She grabs a discarded dirtbike near a knife. After a moment’s thought she picks up the knife too. The bike runs, and Ava lets the thrill of a small act of fictional theft make her smile. “Tell me when you can hear a dirtbike,” she tells her team. Jack grunts in response.

When the nicer man says, “We hear you Sharper,” Ava turns off and ditches the bike. She runs to catch up before crouching to join the group. They’re near the first group they have to take on. Ava sees one man at the outskirts, to the side. She should wait for her group to make a coordinated effort. There’s no need to show off. Ava swaps out her gun for the scavenged knife and begins to shift Clarke to the side of the group.

“What are you doing?” The nicer man, TobyKeys42, doesn’t sound upset at her break from the group.

“I can take him.”

“Like that axe to the head?”

“Shut up Jake,” says Ava. She smiles when she hears the other members of the team chuckle. She creeps a bit further from the group and spins her camera, looking for anyone unexpected on her other sides. She brings it back to face the enemy and steps to him. Within seconds she straightens Clarke and moves the character into a sideways jump, spinning with her knife outstretched. The man she’s attacking falls to the ground as his head flies towards her team. She laughs as Clarke hits the ground and ducks behind a boulder.

“Amazing,” says one of the players who hasn’t said much yet.

“They’re distracted,” Ava points out. Sure enough the other NPCs are turning towards Ava and the fallen body, away from the group. They all raise their weapons as Ava’s team starts shooting. Ava’s aligned herself with good players. She hears the enemy begin to fall, and within minutes the massacre is over. The group rallies around Ava, Toby being the first to compliment her kill. “Damn,” says Jack. Ava suspects that’s all the praise she’ll hear from him after she intentionally called him the wrong name.

Ava moves her character to loot the headless body to her side. After she still Clarke as she pulls out her phone. She has a message on Twitter from Sara Lance. The first time Sara’s responded to the emoji that Ava sent.

_Legends LoA @Legends  
if u play LoA join me. CaptDiesMore2  
9:08 AM_

“Sharper, ready to go?” TobyKeys42 sounds hopeful. Ava looks at the DM on her phone, then back at the screen in front of her. There’s no way she can game with Lance. A positive response is almost out of her mouth when she gets another message.

_Legends LoA @Legends  
no pressure, but i will judge you if you don’t show  
9:16 AM_

God. There’s no way Ava can game with Lance.

**Sara:**

Ridiculous. She doesn’t actually expect Ava to accept, does she? They can’t play together. Sara shouldn’t have sent the message. Sharpe is too professional to accept the invite anyway. With a huff Sara opens LoA and starts choosing her character and weapons. Falling into a game is always a good distraction and today will be no different.

Not that she needs a distraction.

Weapons. She thinks for a moment before choosing the collapsible batons. Although not often practical, they are fun. And challenging, perfect for days when Sara wants to get really lost in the intricacies of the game. She chooses her usual character for online gameplay, Raven Reyes. She likes that the character can solve pretty much any of the skill and intellect challenges throughout the game without relying on anyone else.

Running the character through the world isn’t hard. Sara is at a high level so most players give her a wide berth. She ends noobs who don’t know better with a few quick hits and moves on. She’s going to her favorite part of the game, to a high-fenced section with four lines stretching around the outside. She joins one of the two shorter lines, her batons pocketed as she turns to watch the unofficial fights that take place outside the fence. She laughs as a short charater topples one who clearly thought he’d win by height alone.

As the line moves forward Sara places bets with those standing in line near her. She wins some coin when a scrappy novice beats the shit out of a cocky player with a middle rating. Sara takes out her batons as the line creeps closer, making Clarke stretch with the weapons. LoA is one of the only games that builds how warmed up a character is into their physical abilities.

_CloakedGuest2213 has sent an invitation_

The text appears on the top right corner of the screen. “What?” Sara clicks over to the invitation. Cloaking players is a new feature, one designed to allow players to move through the world without giving away their identities. Most people use it to betray their friends or get in good with their enemies.

2213\. It couldn’t be Ava.

The profile shows that this player, whoever it is, has a very high rating. No specific numbers, nothing that can give away who they are, but still. There’s no avatar visible, just the death cloak associated with NPCs that are part of a cult. All of the personal information that the player could provide on the page is blurred out. Sara accepts the invite and waits to see where she’s being dropped. The load screen is dark and Sara realizes, with a chuckle, that they’re going to be working as a team.

“Hi,” comes a voice Sara doesn’t recognize. There’s no way this is Ava, then. Unless-

“Are you using a voice modulator?” Sara asks the question before she thinks better of it.

“Yes,” comes the reply. Maybe Ava, Sara thinks. A very quiet maybe. “You’re not?”

“No,” says Sara. She doesn’t know why she admits that when Ava’s heard her speak before. But their meeting in the bar was over three weeks ago.

“Want to know what we’re doing?”

Sara smirks. In more ways than one. “Sure.”

“We have to capture a group of villagers, raid those who kidnapped them, and return the stolen property and the people to the furthest homestead without being robbed. We can only kill up to five of the captors.”

“Last in Assassin.” The only mission Sara helped Mick Rory name. There’s a moment when one of the hostages says that the player must have graduated last in assassin school ‘cause so few enemies are killed.

The two women fall silent as the load screen vanishes and they spawn. They’re together, standing feet apart. Sara turns her camera angle to take in her partner. Under the cloak is a generic version of Clarke, rifle in hand. Sara knows that any visible modifications the player has chosen would be wiped away by the cloaking mechanism. Sara is still holding her batons.

“Batons? Really?” Even with the altered voice Sara can hear the disbelief. Or maybe she can just sense it.

“They’re my favorite,” Sara says. She turns Raven in the direction of the mission. She’s completed this one a few times, but likes watching whoever she’s playing with figure it out. “I’m surprised you play as Clarke.”

“Of course I do,” says the cloaked person. Probably not Ava. “I’m surprised you don’t.”

“Raven’s hot,” Sara says. Shit. “I like Raven’s intelligence too. But don’t worry, I like my teammates dumb and loyal.” She starts to laugh but stops when her companion responds.

“Did you just call your main character dumb?”

“No!” Shit. Shit shit. “No, I just meant-”

“If only I were recording this!” The other player laughs and Sara feels a pressure in her chest. This is Sara’s job, which she loves. Ava could throw all that away. “Such good blackmail material! I could get you to do all sorts of things.” There is something in that sentence that gives Sara pause. Is potential Ava not talking about work? Sara shakes her head. She needs to leave the game.

“Sorry, I have to-”

“No!” Sara’s companion shifts Clarke to stand next to Raven. She leans the character over so their shoulders hit. “Don’t leave. I was joking, I wouldn’t do that.”

Sara’s hand is hovering over her mouse. She has the menu up and is looking at the _Leave Mission Incomplete_ option. The opaque menu shows Clarke’s movement.

“Please stay,” the other player says. “I’m not recording it, and even if I were no one knows what you sound like.” There’s a pause while Sara thinks about the truth in that statement. “Or what you look like, for that matter.”

There it is again, the feeling that she’s talking about something beyond the game or their jobs. Sara backs out of the menu and moves Raven away from Clarke. “Fine,” she says. At least Ava doesn’t seem inclined to discuss Sara’s admission of her crush on a video game character. They move across the screen and Sara shifts her camera to watch Clarke jog. The character is even and smooth. She still doesn’t know if this is Ave, she reminds herself. Sara sighs as she moves Raven around fallen debris.

“You know there might be something worth scavenging in there?”

Sara laughs. “I’ve played this mission before, I know there’s not.”

“Oh.” The voice sounds disappointed and Sara wants to be reassuring for some reason.

“I’ve played the entire game. You, uh, know that right?” If you know who I am? Sara’s never fished for the identity of a gamer before. This feels personal.

“I mean.” The voice hesitates. “I hoped maybe you hadn’t, but.” She stops talking.

“You are who I think you are, right?” Sara’s question comes out soft, wondering. “I just want to be clear.”

There’s a pause as the two characters keep moving forward. When Clarke stops running Sara slows Raven too. “I almost didn’t come, but yes. I’m that person.”

She won’t say her name. Sara knows that’s smart. She turns Raven to look at the landscape around them. There aren’t any players within earshot, but Ava might worry about Sara recording the session. “I won’t do anything,” says Sara. She knows it’s true, she won’t sell out Ava for her job. Not today.

“Ok.” Another pause. “Me neither.”

“I just want to play with someone who seems, you know, good.”

Ava snorts. Sara knows it’s because they’re both far beyond good. “Thanks, I think.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I do.” Clarke turns to face their destination again. “Shall we?”

“Lead on, boss.” Sara smiles as Ava laughs. This is going to be so much more fun than a controlled fight behind a tall fence. And honestly it is. Sara and Ava use the characters as part of a team so smoothly that Sara forgets, for a time, that they’re rivals. Clarke and Raven stand back-to-back at one point, surrounded by enemies.

“I’m gonna jump off your-”

“Go!”

Sara launches Raven off the ground as Ava keeps Clarke steady, bent forward. Raven’s back lands on Clarke and the character rolls sideways, swinging her elongated batons and kicking against the various men charging towards Raven. At the same time Raven shoots someone on her other side.

“That was pretty sweet,” says Ava. She chuckles as she continues to shoot.

“I’ve only heard of that skill.” Sara turns in a circle, looking for other characters to fight. The man Ava shot falls to the ground, dead. “That’s four down,” says Sara.

“Ok, we shouldn’t kill anyone else unless we absolutely have to.” Ava swaps out the gun she picked up from a fallen enemy for her knife.

Both characters face the captors that Sara knocked out. “Got any rope?”

Ava moves Clarke forward. “Yup. I’ll tie them up.” Clarke kneels next to the men and begins connecting them to one another. Smart, Sara thinks. Limit their motion.

“Shit,” says Sara. Ava can probably hear her phone ringing. “I have to take this.”

Clarke stands up. “I can wait?”

“No, it’s ok. It’s, uh, work.”

There’s a pause. “Right,” says Ava’s fake voice. “Work.”

“Bye.” Sara doesn’t wait before getting out of the game. She accepts the call and starts talking to Nora Darhk. Those upgrades that Ray warned her about are ready.

When Sara finishes the call she heads over to Twitter.

_Legends LoA @Legends  
thanks for that  
11:36 AM_

_TB Gaming @TBGaming  
Maybe we could do it again sometime.  
11:37 AM_

_Legends LoA @Legends_  
hit me up, since ur the one w/ both our handles  
11:37 AM 

Sara tells herself to stop checking her phone for a reply while she makes lunch. And as the afternoon wears on she does stop. Mostly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends!
> 
> News: I've finished outlining this story! It should be around 26 chapters. I've written 7 ahead of this one, and it's a relief to know how I'll get to my planned ending. I don't anticipate my ideas changing, but if they do I'll let you know.
> 
> Also how do you like them gaming together? We're getting to my favorite part that I've written soon. :-)
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments, and please keep them coming!
> 
> <3


	10. Gaming Together, Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava wants to check Twitter again, to re-read her conversation with Sara. Five messages shouldn’t pull her attention like this. She should be able to ignore the DMs until, if, she gets another message from Lance. Although, she supposes, the ball is in her own court right now.
> 
> \-------
> 
> Ava isn’t here. Sara is only half done with her lukewarm beer and Sharpe isn’t even here to make this night-
> 
> To make this night what, Sara? Worth it?
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava tries to distract herself from, well, a distraction. Meanwhile, Sara stumbles upon a name that she didn't have before.

**Ava:**

Nothing. Ava exhales as she closes the Legends accounts. It seems that Lance has kept her word. There are no memes, videos, gifs, or other posts that even insinuate that the two social media managers have gamed together.

Ava wants to check Twitter again, to re-read her conversation with Sara. Five messages shouldn’t pull her attention like this. She should be able to ignore the DMs until, if, she gets another message from Lance. Although, she supposes, the ball is in her own court right now. The time isn’t right for a response, she tells herself.

Instead Ava opens Twitch to run a fresh livestream. She’s done a couple since the first and she’s kept up the varied titles, although now she includes the name of the game she’s going to play too. Today’s title: _2213: Knives Out._ She equipes with only blades because she wants to practice her throwing skills and figures that embarrassing herself a bit can help soften the hardened edges she’s building into TBG’s brand. Sure enough within the first ten minutes she dies twice, although she also kills roughly 20 enemies. She’s trying trick shots, throwing her knives behind her back or under her opposite arm. Once she throws one under her leg too, kind of hopping with the effort. When Ava plays like this she feels both badass and vulnerable. She likes that balance, always has. The viewers seem to enjoy it too, calling her gutsy and stupid in the same comments.

Once the stream is complete she starts creating some memes to post throughout the next couple of days. She retweets people talking smack about TBG’s games with some well-placed retorts while also focusing on positive responses too. Unlike Legends she doesn’t mock their own projects, instead focusing her sass on those who come at TBG. After telling a person who calls the pre-release artwork inviting that she’ll let them live in-game as a thanks, Ava switches over to analytics. She studies TBG’s growth for a while, compiling the data in a way that highlights the increase in comments. The Twitch account has more views on the four livestreams she’s done then they did for all their other videos. The conversations she starts on Discord last longer than others too. She can’t help her pride as she works, feeling relief from the measurable proof of a job well done.

Friday rolls around before Ava is prepared. She looks at those damn DMs again and thinks, for a moment, about going out to that gaming bar. Maybe she could find some stress relief there. She avoids thinking about how she’d be guaranteed more luck, and less man drool, at a bar that caters to the LGBT+ community. Instead she tells herself that the drinks at the gaming bar are better, somehow.

She knows they’re not. Ignoring that fact is easy enough as she walks to her car.

Ava shouldn’t go out. She’ll play LoA instead, see if a certain player is active. Try to run a timed mission faster than the various records Ava holds.

No, she thinks as she buckles her seatbelt. She needs to play 2213 tonight. If she wants to finish before the game drops then tonight is a must play, not a should play.

In her apartment Ava turns on her PS4. She chooses her personal account this time, not wanting the pressure of performing with the company handle. Nevermind that there’s no one in-world to give her pressure.

Twenty minutes later Ava pauses the game. There’s no point if she’s going to continuously fall on her ass and get killed. She watches Lexa brush off her shoulder after the respawn. The woman doesn’t seem discouraged. Ava wants Lexa to curse or yell for a moment, to kick a rock and stub her toe, maybe.

Damn it.

Ava gets up to use the bathroom, leaving Lexa to think about her various deaths. While washing her hands Ava looks at her reflection. She seems normal. Her hair is down, over one shoulder, and her sleep shirt is loose. Maybe she’s too relaxed. With both hands she gathers her hair, pulling it back and up. She drops one hand to grab an elastic, working it into a tight bun. With the last twist of the elastic she exhales. That’s better. Ava leaves the bathroom and goes to her bedroom where she picks up the bra, work shirt, and slacks that she changed out of after she got home. She swaps out her pjs for these clothes, cursing to herself as she catches the shirt on her bun. Now she feels more centered.

At the PS4 Ava sits back down. The controller feels better in her hands. More like a part of her job and less like a way to get some stress out.

Not that she’s stressed, she reminds herself. This job is great and she loves the friends she’s making through work.

Lexa hasn’t moved. She hasn’t died either, since there are no other live gamers to kill unmanned characters. As Ava watches she brushes off her shoulder again. Ava grunts as she saves the game and switches to the TB Gaming account. After respawn she steps the character forward. She moves to the southwest corner of the map, to a mission that she’s attempted several times but has yet to complete. There’s a transport of munitions that needs to be disrupted. Munitions that will be used to oppress the other clones unless Lexa can get her act together and dispense with those transporting the goods. There’s a narrow window of opportunity on this mission. Ava needs to kill all five of the guards before they reach the first checkpoint. Waiting until after that moment, as Ava’s discovered, leaves Lexa vulnerable and exposed. Ava tries the mission, and fails, three times before she notices that she’s biting her lower lip in frustration.

This mission is probably coded for multiple people to complete, not one with a grudge. Ava tries again anyway. She shoots the first woman within twenty seconds of the mission’s start. Another three minutes and she’s killed two more people, both of whom she loots for ammunition to weapons she doesn’t have equipped.

Ava has an arm around the chest of the fourth guard, knife poised at her throat, body facing away from Lexa, when she notices something. It’s the hair sticking out from under the helmet. The hair that falls against Lexa’s shoulder. This guard is a clone. Ava shoves the clone away from Lexa with the press of one button. She watches as the guard/clone reaches for her gun and draws on Lexa.

Ava has seconds to convince her to spare Lexa’s life, but Ava can’t make a choice.

_Please, no.  
I can help you.  
Join me._

Instead Lexa falls after the gunshot, clutching her abdomen. Ava ignores the death scene as she realizes that this mission is impossible if the player follows the stated goals. If Ava plays to kill the guards and grabs the munitions. Instead one of the guards, at least one of the guards, Ava realizes, must be saved. At least one of them is a perfect twin to Lexa.

There must be a way to complete this mission with that knowledge. She just needs to figure how, and honestly she’s too tired for that right now.

Once Lexa respawns Ava turns on the recording device. Might as well get something worth the play time. As she continues to play she moves anywhere and everywhere that’s not the southwest corner of the map. Such a difficult and unique mission cannot be shared with viewers before the game drops.

In her second mission Ava sees a chance for some cool actions. She crouches and moves on a NPC, a tall man with a full beard and no helmet. He’s not a guard so his head isn’t sen as vulnerable by those in charge. She smiles at the detail of this world that her coworkers have created as she approaches him. He doesn’t turn so Lexa stands, runs for two steps, and jumps. As he turns to her she spins, knife out. It grazes his chest as Lexa falls away from the man, who takes out his gun. He trains it on Ava for a second as she notices his fellows turning to fight her too. Ava doesn’t hesitate as she lunges the character forward to shove his gun away with one hand and stab him with the other. He falls as, gun in hand, Ava turns to the other men and women. Ava kills them all in less than ten seconds. It’s a good bit of fighting, one that will make a great gif, but she feels disappointed at her inability to take the tall man down with Sara’s beheading method.

Throughout the remainder of the mission Ava continues to attempt the spin beheading move, and on the fifth try she gets it. Quickly she saves her progress and leaves the game.

The gif she makes is great. It’s smooth and clean and, to the dead man, probably terrifying. Curious, Ava pulls up the gif that Sara made of the same move in LoA. The two play side-by-side and Ava thinks about posting them together. They’re beautiful. Both of them. Ava can’t post something that makes LoA look that awesome. Instead she makes a quick gif of herself killing that group after attempting to behead the tall man. Still kickass and skillful.

In bed, ready to turn out the light on her nightstand, Ava wishes she could show Sara the side-by-side gifs without giving her the ability to post them. She wishes, for just a moment, that she could trust her foe to see something cool and leave it be.

**Sara:**

Ava isn’t here. Sara is only half done with her lukewarm beer and Sharpe isn’t even here to make this night-

To make this night what, Sara? Worth it?

Sara pushes the glass into the center of the bar and stands up. She puts down a tip and steps away. As she’s leaving she notices that the guy who talked to her when she first came in, with the unfortunate mustache and the highlighter green shirt, is watching her. She doesn’t wave as she heads for the exit. Two steps shy she looks to her right and sees another man holding a beer. He nods to her and smiles and for a second she pauses. He looks nice, an easy smile and gentle eyes. Sara thinks about it for a second. Sitting with him, asking his name, discussing something until they go back to his place and she gets a real distraction from whatever is going on in her head. The thought lasts until the TV behind the man shows an ad for a Let’s Play youtuber. In the ad he’s playing 2213, and it’s a breath before Sara starts walking again. She doesn’t know why she came. That’s what she tells herself as she pushes the door open and shoulders through the crowd of smokers. They’re supposed to be away from the building. Sara’s not normally a stickler from the rules but god, this group is annoying. One of the men chuckles at her in that way some people reserve for those they think are less than. He has a Pac-Man ghost tattooed on his neck. Sara strides down the sidewalk to her car, parallel parked on a side road. She’ll go home and play that copy of 2213 that Gideon let her borrow, see if she can’t do better than the person in that ad. Last week she created her own character for the online multiplayer, someone who looks a bit like her but wears mostly camo. Tonight she can start exploring, as long as she doesn’t run into anyone who works for TB Gaming. It’s a Friday night, she figures. Low chance of workers being online.

Her apartment is warm when she gets there, the leftover sense of impending summer making her strip off her work shirt and bra. She pulls on a thin short-sleeved flannel, which she leaves unbuttoned as she sits in front of her PS4. The camera is covered. 2213 is already in the machine. She sips some water as the game loads. After she’s chosen her character and selected her weapons she watches the load screen. She has a sniper today, thinking that if anyone is playing she can kill them from afar before exiting the game. Make them think there’s a glitch, maybe.

Please let no one be playing near where I spawn, she thinks.

Damn. Standing next to her, shifting to rub her shoulder, is another player. Sara goes to exit the level when she notices that the character isn’t moving. Her eyes are half-closed and Sara realizes that whoever is playing must’ve left their game on while they went to do something irl. A plan that only works before the game launches, unless the goal is to die many times over.

Sara moves her character towards the inert avatar. The other is wearing customized clothing, like Sara, but she’s still Lexa. Sara shifts to see the player’s handle.

_SharperDirectives_

Whoa. This has gotta be Ava Sharpe. She’s already a level 98. She must be making her way through the solo gameplay too. Sara turns away from Ava’s character and ducks behind some stacked logs. No point in waiting to be discovered, but there might be a point in doing a bit of discovering herself. While she’s waiting she types Ava’s handle into her phone. She’s crouched for no more than a minute before Ava’s Lexa disappears.

Damn. Sara almost gets up to slink forward and look at the ground where Ava’s character stood, but for some reason she stays still. She has her character pull out a knife. As Sara shifts in her crouch she watches another character appear, standing a few yards from where Ava left her Lexa. The new person is also playing as Lexa and she immediately starts moving.

Sara wants to follow. She has a feeling about this development. To confirm it she swaps her knife for the sniper and trains it on Lexa number two.

_TBGaming_

Yup. Still Ava. Sara jogs forward when Ava’s about to leave the screen. No point in giving up this opportunity to spy on the enemy, she thinks.

It’s a few hours since Sara stopped following Ava. She’s standing in the southwest corner of the map, watching the five guards who will start moving munitions if Sara accepts their specific mission. Sara can’t figure out why the TB Gaming’s version of Lexa gave up on this job. There’s something about the guards that seems off, sure, but that intrigues Sara more than it pushes her away. Ava must have sensed it too. Sara knows which guard Ava was killed by the last time she attempted the mission. Her sniper focuses on the guard in question, letting the vision narrow to the scope and willing her eyes to somehow see further into the screen.

The helmet looks like those worn by the other guards. Her hair comes out from under it a bit but that’s not unusual. Nothing about her clothing or demeanor gives anything away.

Maybe there is a glitch, Sara thinks. Maybe the guard killed Ava without giving her a chance to fight back. Maybe there is something that Sara can’t see from here.

Her eyes flick to her cell phone. She hits the side button and it lights up. 1:30AM.

Sara saves her progress and logs off. The mystery of the guards will have to wait for another night. Or another morning.

Four hours later Sara rolls over and swears at her phone. She still grabs it though because that notification sound is the one tied to Ava Sharpe. Sara sits up and opens her Twitter DMs.

_TB Gaming_  
@TBGaming  
Game on? 

Sara doesn’t reply. Instead she gets up and moves into her living room. She fires up her PS4 before going to the bathroom and brushing her teeth. By the time she sits on the couch the system is awake, waiting for her to choose a game. She swaps out 2213 for LoA and, once everything is running, accepts the invite from _CloakedGuest2213._

More like SharperDirectives, Sara thinks to herself.

She realizes that she doesn’t have her headset on when the load screen pops up. Getting up, she grabs it and puts it on her head. She doesn’t hit mute, but she doesn’t speak either. Ava is also quiet.

Oh. Sara spawns by herself with weapons that she didn’t choose and a score counter at the top. This is a versus, not a cooperative. Sara remains quiet as she moves Raven across the screen. There are other plays around, all capable of interfering if they notice that Sara is in the middle of a one-on-one. Some LoA players consider killing those in battles a victory, although Sara doesn’t see the challenge or joy in such easy targets.

Then again, Sara’s never been one for easy.

Slowly she follows the colored markers on her map that guide her towards Ava. Some players move swiftly towards the enemy, thinking they can get a surprise with speed, but Sara knows a skilled player won’t fall for that nonsense. Intentional planning is the method to use. Observation is key. Sara listens to the sounds of her headphones, which share Ava’s actions a bit, to judge what terrain she’s on and which weapons she’s equipping. But Ava is absurdly quiet. If she equips weapons she does so when another louder sound occurs. And she avoids obvious areas like rivers or paved roads.

Sara hasn’t felt this challenged in a long time and she tries to pretend that it’s not hot.

When Sara crests a hill, seeing Ava’s signal in the next valley, she is suddenly hit with a circular object. Raven catches it and Sara yelps, making the first noise from either herself or Ava. She has Raven throw the grenade, not taking the time to aim. It goes left and explodes feet from Raven. Sara watches helplessly as Raven is felled with the strength of the explosion. Ava comes on screen as Sara turns Raven over. Sara equips a baton and almost laughs when she sees that those are the exact weapons that Clarke has at hand.

“Copying me?”

“Huh,” is all Ava says before she strikes for Raven’s head. Raven parries well enough, but she’s injured. They each parry a few more strikes before Ava lands one, knocking Sara out and effectively winning the match.

“Respawn?” Ava sounds hopeful, or maybe that’s Sara reading into the modified voice again.

“Sure,” says Sara.

They are on their third match when Raven lunges in the air towards Clarke, spinning with a knife. Ava must recognize the move because she has Clarke sidestep and reach back to rake her own knife across Raven’s back as she lands.

“I can do that move in 2213,” says Ava. It’s the first time either of them have spoken since the end of the first fight. Clarke stops moving.

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” says Sara. Raven stops too. Sara’s smiling, and she’d bet that Ava can tell. Still, there’s a pause. Ava might be sending Sara a video file. Sara is about to reach for her laptop when Ava speaks.

“You could post it. I can only show you in person.”

“Where and when?” Sara is still smiling, but she knows this is impossible. Not because Ava would recognize her, it’s been over a month and Sara isn’t that vain. No, this comes down to professionalism. As if in agreement with Sara’s thoughts, Clarke disappears from the game. Sara doesn’t have a chance to say goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! Hello friends!
> 
> My wife and I tried to go for a hike today but couldn't find a nearby trailhead that wasn't crowded with cars so we got curbside food instead. That's pretty much how my self-isolation is going - we try to do something healthy and end up eating.
> 
> I hope you're doing well!
> 
> Please drop a line of your thoughts.  
> Thank you for reading and commenting, and I hope you're having a good day.  
> Also I think I'm gonna post a new chapter tomorrow too 'cause I can. We'll see.
> 
> And if you're a mother, Happy Mother's Day!  
> (If you're not a mother, happy Sunday!)
> 
> <3


	11. No. Yes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Ava has] never met the woman. She has no memory of a face to pull up, no idea of Sara’s style or height. What she does have is not much. An understanding of her humor. The belief that she’s an amazing gamer. A deep respect for her work ethic. An appreciation for her voice.
> 
> Not helping.
> 
> \-------
> 
> God, [Sara] wants to game with this woman again. They could play next to one another so Sara could glance at Ava’s expressions throughout the game. That’d be so-
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava isn't interested in Sara Lance. Meanwhile, Sara is not interested in Ava Sharpe.

**Ava:**

Ava cannot be thinking about meeting up with the social media manager for Legends. And if she is thinking about it there’s no way she’ll actually do it. They shouldn’t even be talking, much less gaming together. Never mind that Sara Lance is one of the best gamers that Ava’s ever seen. Never mind that she sounds cute and fun and she dropped a line that one time about thinking that Raven Reyes is hot. Never mind that Ava can’t seem to leave the Legends socials alone.

Ava doesn’t want to show Sara that gif bad enough to meet her. She can’t. There must be a limit to what Ava will do to gloat.

There is a limit, she thinks, and this is it.

Anyway Sara’s gif is just as impressive as Ava’s, possibly more so since she was the first of the pair to complete the move. By that logic it’s not even gloating, it’s being second best. And Ava Sharpe is second to no one.

While Ava is thinking about not meeting up with Sara she goes into their DMs and reads that exchange again. Sara sounds cute. Her voice is enticing when they game together too.

Ava needs a cold shower or something. Anything to remind herself that she’s never met the woman. She has no memory of a face to pull up, no idea of Sara’s style or height. What she does have is not much. An understanding of her humor. The belief that she’s an amazing gamer. A deep respect for her work ethic. An appreciation for her voice.

Not helping.

Ava rolls over and searches for Legends, not their Twitter account but tweets about them. She selects one where a gamer who’s obviously too lazy to read the initial information within the game complains that it’s hard to distinguish between the character types within the LoA world. Ava retweets and writes, _When the gamer can’t be bothered to read during the intro sequence and the game is too fucking greater-than-thou to help you out by restating info._ It’s meant to be a burn on Legends, but Ava knows it’s more an insult to the gamer. Before hitting _Tweet_ Ava jumps into the original poster’s account. The guy has over twenty thousand followers so she feels no qualms about blasting him.

She doesn’t have to wait long for Sara to comment.

_📖 > 😖_

Ava laughs. She wants to like the comment, but how friendly can Legends and TBG be?

Breakfast is cooking, two scrambled eggs with toast, when Ava’s phone goes off with that distinct Legends tone. She grabs it without pause, opening Twitter and her own retweet. It takes her a second to realize that what’s new isn’t a reply or a comment, but a DM.

_Legends LoA  
@Legends  
i want to see that move in 2213_

Shit. They cannot meet.

_TB Gaming  
@TBGaming  
Yeah? Why?_

_Legends LoA  
@Legends  
so I can tell you how skilled u r.  
not._

_TB Gaming  
@TBGaming  
Well that’s convinced me. 😐_

_Legends LoA  
@Legends  
no but really. i wanna see._

There’s a pause. Ava starts typing. _What're you willing to do to make that happen?_ No, too suggestive. She deletes it before she realizes that it might only be suggestive in her head. She starts to retype it, then deletes it again.

Screw this. She will wait until Sara says something else. She’s the one that wants something. (Ava does not want anything, she tells herself. She has no desire to meet Sara.)

_Legends LoA  
@Legends  
…  
meet me 4 lunch?_

_TB Gaming  
@TBGaming  
Where?_

Where? Ava should have said no.

_Legends LoA  
@Legends  
u know mainline coffee?_

_TB Gaming  
@TBGaming  
Yes._

_Legends LoA  
@Legends  
12:30?_

_TB Gaming  
@TBGaming  
. . .  
Maybe._

That’s good. Maybe. Make Sara think she might show then leave her hanging. That’s the best plan, really. Ava is relieved that she has a plan at all.

_Legends LoA_  
_@Legends  
if u don’t show i’ll know u can’t do that move_

Ava scoffs. She throws down her phone as she turns to her closet. An outfit for a Sunday. Normally she’d wear comfy jeans and a loose blouse, but today she’s feeling a bit more expressive. She’s not thinking about meeting Sara as she picks a sundress. Not at all. The day is finally warm enough to be this summery, that’s all.

Main Street isn’t too crowded, especially for a Sunday afternoon. Ava is here to watch from afar, she tells herself. She’s not going to go over and engage. She’s already fifteen minutes late anyway. The cafe is up ahead and Ava knows she can walk by quickly and get a look inside without arousing suspicion. Sara Lance has never met her, after all. Ava hopes she’ll somehow be able to tell which patron is Sara.

Ava is steps away from the outdoor seating when a blonde woman sitting at one of the tables turns around. Not a blonde woman, _the_ blonde woman. From the bar. Still beautiful, smiling in a self-satisfied way until she realizes that Ava is going down. Nothing causes Ava’s nosedive onto the concrete, save her own shock.

“Shit,” the blonde woman says. Ava hears her come closer as she raises herself up on her hands and takes a swipe at her lower lip. Blood, great. She tries to look around the woman for whoever might be Sara Lance until she has a thought.

No.

“Ava?”

The question is confirmation. “Shit,” says Ava. She sits back as she feels the blonde woman, Sara Lance, grasp her arm.

“Here.” Lance leaves Ava’s side and goes to her table, coming back with a napkin.

“Thank you,” Ava says. She meets Sara’s eyes, so clearly blue, and blinks. “You’re Sara?”

Sara glances down. “In the flesh.”

“But you’re from the bar.”

Sara’s eyes widen and Ava realizes that anyone else would have forgotten the flirty stranger who spoke with them for less than five minutes over a month ago. But not Ava. Desperate, predictable Ava.

“I am.” Sara tries to come back from her blatant surprise. Ava can see the struggle on her face as easily as she can see the concern.

Ava moves to stand and Sara shifts out of her way. “Sorry,” Ava says lamely.

“For falling or for being late?” Sara raises an eyebrow. “I think you intended only one of those things.”

Ava chuckles, then winces at her lip. She raises the napkin and pulls it back at the sting.

“I bet they have a first aid kit,” says Sara.

“Soap will do.” Ava moves towards the door, stopping when Sara touches her arm.

“What’s your order? I can place it while you clean up.”

“Thanks,” says Ava. She is going to leave, she reminds herself. “Black is fine.”

“Ok.”

Before Ava reaches the bathroom she glances back to where Sara stands in line. She is wearing shorts and a dark tank top. Ava snorts because why does Sara Lance have to look so good?

**Sara:**

She remembers me. Why does she remember me?

Sara can’t get that question out of her head as she stands in line to order. She drums her fingers along the hem of her shorts as her mind cycles back through that same question, providing no helpful answers.

“Next.”

The barista isn’t looking at Sara as he speaks. She steps forward.

“Hi. Can I get two black coffees?”

The boy looks up. He’s probably a teenager, maybe a young college kid. “Size?”

“One small, one medium. No, a small and a large. And two pieces of quiche please.”

“Vegetarian or regular?” The boy looks back down and taps on his computer.

“One of each,” says Sara.

She’s paid up and walking Ava’s coffee out to the table when Ava emerges from the bathroom. Sara turns and stares at Ava for a moment. Sara shakes her head. "Can you take these?" She hands Ava the coffees and turns to go back to the counter.

“Where are you going?” Ava’s question makes her sound nervous.

“I ordered some food,” says Sara. She continues forward until she reaches the quiches, warm from a reheat. Ava is still standing where Sara gave her the coffee, for some reason. They walk back to the table together.

“Do you like quiche?” Sara slides both plates into the middle of the table before she sits down. “One veg, one not. I can eat either.”

“Whichever is fine,” says Ava. She slides the coffees to the center of the table too, clearly uncertain which is for her. Sara reaches out and takes the small. Ava meets Sara’s eye for a moment, then reaches for the regular quiche and the large coffee.

“Kill any NPCs lately?” A terrible question, but Sara can’t think of anything else to say. She pulls the remaining plate over and picks up the accompanying fork.

“Um, no.” Ava lifts a forkful but doesn’t eat it. “Are we going to pretend we haven’t met before?”

That's my plan, thinks Sara. “I didn’t expect to see you again, so…” She trails off, hoping Ava will let it go.

“So you knew who I was?”

“I saw your LinkedIn,” says Sara. She can’t see the point of pretending otherwise. Ava watches Sara for a moment, then eats her bite. Sara looks down to eat hers too.

“This is good,” Ava says. “What do I owe you?”

"Nothing." Sara smirks at the look on Ava's face and glances down at her plate before meeting Ava's eyes again. "It's, uh, for the bar."

"Is that an apology?" Ava taps the tines of her fork on her bottom lip. "I didn't think you'd ever say you're sorry."

"I didn't," says Sara. And she would't. This isn't an apology, it's a second chance at an introduction. She shrugs at Ava and pretends that what she's telling herself makes sense.

"Thank you then. But only for the food and coffee, not for the implied apology that you're in denial about." Ava lifts another forkful.

Wow, thinks Sara. She turns her smirk into a full smile. “You’re welcome.” Sara takes another bite, wondering what the hell she’s doing at this cafe sitting across from someone who is beautiful, funny, and unattainable. Even with a split lip Ava looks inviting.

The video, Sara thinks. “You really have a video doing that spin kill in 2213?”

Ava nods. “I do.”

Sara is quiet as she takes that in and they both continue to eat. While the gif is an interesting draw, Sara can’t pretend that’s the only reason she invited Ava out. She wants to see her again. Hell, she wants to get to know Ava, a desire she cannot afford.

“Want to see it?” Ava is looking at Sara. Sara swallows her last bite.

“Yes.”

Sara expects Ava to pass her phone across the table. She does not expect Ava to pull her chair around and sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Sara. Ava takes out her phone and Sara watches her type on it before tilting the screen to Sara. There are two gifs that start playing at the same time. Sara sees that one is her own work alongside Ava’s. They match incredibly well as both characters jump, spin, and behead.

“Wow,” says Sara. “That’s good.”

“Good?” Sara catches Ava turning to the phone as the gifs restart. “They’re better than good.”

“I know,” says Sara. God, she wants to game with this woman again. They could play next to one another so Sara could glance at Ava’s expressions throughout the game. That’d be so- Nothing. It’d be fine. Friendly. Sara picks up her coffee and takes a sip. Normally she puts sugar in it.

“Bitter?”

“No,” Sara lies. She takes another gulp to prove her point. Ava smiles and Sara thinks she’s not fooled.

“Have you played 2213?” Ava leans across the table for her coffee and Sara looks at her arms. She can see the muscles flexing. She’s a competitor, Sara tells herself. An enemy. Sara continues to stare.

“Sara?”

“Um, no.” Sara looks back to Ava’s face and feels herself getting warm. “No, I haven’t played 2213.” It’s a necessary lie. No one who works for Legends is meant to have a copy of a direct competitor’s game.

“How can you knock it then?”

Sara pauses. It’s a good question, one she’s kind of struggled with in the past. Usually competitors don’t call her on it though. “How can you claim to not play LoA when I know you do?”

“Maybe I only play with you as a way to get to know you.” Ava clears her throat. “To get under your skin.”

“Yeah right.” Sara takes another sip of coffee and watches Ava do the same. “You like our game. Admit it.”

“I’ll admit that when you tell me how you can mock a game you’ve never played.”

“It’s my job,” says Sara. She smirks at Ava, wondering if she’ll admit to enjoying League.

“Of course.” Ava laughs. “I think a person should play a game before calling it shit.”

“I’ve never called 2213 shit.” Sara figures Ava knows this and is baiting her. And Sara feels okay about letting her, for some reason.

Ava opens her mouth, clearly intent on saying something, then closes it. Instead she opens her purse and pulls out a slip of paper and a pen. She writes something and puts it down in front of Sara.

A phone number.

“In case you ever want to talk outside official channels. It’s not my work phone.”

Sara picks up the piece of paper before looking at Ava. “Ok,” she says.

“I have to go,” says Ava. She pushes her chair back and stands, picking up her coffee and purse. “See you around.”

“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll run into you while playing LoA.” Sara can’t help the jab, and she smiles when Ava quirks an eyebrow.

“Maybe,” says Ava. She turns and walks away. Sara looks back down at the slip of paper and smiles. Ava didn’t write anything aside from the number, but it feels like an admission in Sara’s hand. She pockets it before picking up her own coffee to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They've met! Names known and everything! What do you think?
> 
> I thought about making Ava mad about Sara talking to her in the bar, but I thought embarrassed would be more funny for us. Poor Ava.
> 
> Thanks for the comments on the last chapter - waking up to your positive thoughts made my morning!  
> If you liked this chapter please let me know too. :-)
> 
> Thanks for reading and for caring.
> 
> <3


	12. Fast and Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava knows it’s because this is a bad idea. Talking. Seeing one another. Gaming together. All terrible. At the same time Ava wants to see Sara again. She opens the notes on her phone.
> 
> \-------
> 
> Ava’s posted something. Sara clicks over to see a comic book style cartoon featuring Lexa and Clarke...The final panel is Lexa cleaning the knife.
> 
> Sara hits the comment bubble.
> 
> _we all know they’d kiss before they killed each other, right?_
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava can't seem to stop herself from talking. Meanwhile, Sara is distracted at work.

**Ava:**

The phone is the same as always. The same color (black), the same weight (138 grams), the same materials (glass, plastic, and metal). But there’s a new contact inside and a series of messages that weren’t there last week. None of them are serious, yet Ava can’t help looking at them like she still looks at the DMs. Even when she wakes up weirdly early ‘cause she can’t sleep.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
Boo!  
  
AH!  
  
I’m scared ‘cause you used capitalization  
  
i’m scared ‘cause u didn’t use a .  
  
Seems right.  
  
yup  
  


That’s all they’ve sent in the past four days. Ava knows it’s because this is a bad idea. Talking. Seeing one another. Gaming together. All terrible. At the same time Ava wants to see Sara again. She opens the notes on her phone.

_Uncategorized  
Did you see that exchange between Rockstar and Naughty Dog? Everyone knows The Last of Us will make a great HBO show._

_What did you have for breakfast today?_

_Want to game tonight?_

_God. Did I tell you Gary’s convinced the higher-ups to allow some last-minute upgrade options for Lexa? It’s going to have the coders flat-out._

_Of course I didn’t tell you._

_We don’t talk._

The notes started as a way to derail Ava’s desire to text Lance. To ask her opinions and hear her stories, to vent to her.

_Delete note?_

_Yes  
No_

Ava watches the screen go blank for a second before the note reappears. She’s thought about deleting it a couple of times yet it’s still here. Staring at her.

Ava starts typing, adding to the note. _I wish I could call you._

Brrrrrph. Brrrrrrph. The phone vibrates in Ava’s hand. She clicks on the text before noticing that it’s Sara’s handle.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
what’s ur gaming name?  
  
...  
  
Do you know what time it is?  
  
it’s 5 oclock somewhere  
  
That’s about PM, not AM.  
  
And it’s 5AM here.  
  
u seem to be up.  
  
Barely.  
  
me too. what’s ur handle?  
  
I’m not telling you that.  
  
i thought catching u half asleep would work  
  
You’re not that smooth.  
  
ouch.  
  
u have mine. it’d be fair  
  
C’mon, you can’t expect me to tell you.  
  
i have no proof u won’t tell me  
  
When you put it like that…  
  
/s  
  
c’mon, i want to game w/ u. but really.  
  
...  
  
Maybe.  
  
i won’t share it, if that’s ur worry  
  


That’s exactly Ava’s worry. She rereads the messages. If she sends Sara her handle she could release it to the masses. Ava could end up with tons of people tracking her gameplay. She could be swamped with invites to terrible groups and gouded for her private account. Fans would know that she lied about playing LoA.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
What’s your handle mean?  
  
?  
  
CaptDiesMore2. What’s the significance?  
  
🤷 i needed a name  
  
What made you pick that one?  
  
what made u pick urs?  
  
It speaks for itself.  
  
Tell me. Please.  
  
FINE  
  
⚰️  
  
i died a lot in my early gaming career  
  
way more than 2xs, lol  
  
And Capt?  
  
DiesMore2 felt like it needed a rank  
  
🙄  
  
r u gonna tell me now?  
  
What?  
  
u’re annoying  
  
Maybe. But you seem to like it.  
  
o yeah. gets me real hottttt  
  


I bet, thinks Ava. She pockets her phone and gets up, heading to the living room. She doesn’t game before work, she runs. She’ll just put on some music before she puts together a pre-run snack, since she’s clearly up. Instead of scrolling over to Spotify on the PS4 she sits down and toggles to the disk symbolizing a game. She clicks on LoA and sighs as the load screen comes up.

Brrrrrph. Brrrrrrph.

She leaves the phone in her pajamas pocket as she chooses to play online. No way she’ll invite Sara Lance, she thinks as she chooses to send an invite. The text screen pops up and she sighs.

Fine, Ava admits to herself. She will play with Sara.

After typing she sends the invite and waits. The rotating circle at the top indicates that her name is being sent over. Sara could be reading it right now, probably laughing because it’s so on the nose.

_Player is not active_

Or not.

Ava pulls out her phone.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
SHARPE. don’t hold out on me.  
  
please.  
  
Turn on your PS4  
  
no.  
  
wait, y?  
  


Ava’s not going to respond. Instead she gives it a minute, then sends a new invite. This time the requesting circle stays up longer.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
Will you accept already?  
  
i’m debating. u were kinda rude.  
  
We decided you like that.  
  
true  
  


The circle disappears as the screen changes, becoming the pre-load screen. Ava grabs her headset from on the couch next to her.

“SharperDirectives? Really?”

“I like to take control.” Ava bites her tongue after she says that. What the hell, brain.

Sara laughs. “I bet. You’re still using a voice modulator.”

“Yup.” Ava leaves it connected, always.

“Don’t trust me yet?”

“Don’t trust you ever,” says Ava. She smiles at the banter and starts moving Clarke around the screen.

“You know I’ve only heard your voice twice,” says Sara. She sounds wistful, and Ava wonders for the first time if her feelings are reciprocated. She hopes not, even as she feels her cheeks flush at the thought.

“I can’t help you with that,” says Ava.

“Sure you can.”

Raven moves a few steps to the side, brushing shoulders with Clarke as she moves. Ava can imagine hitting her own shoulder against Sara’s irl. She’d be more firm about it, use the action as an insult.

“I thought we could do a timed mission today,” says Ava. She turns Clarke to face the north section of the map. “If we go up that ridge there’s-”

“Oh, Murder Gulch.” Of course Sara knows the most difficult run. At least, it’s the most difficult for Ava. “Think we can beat my time?”

“That depends,” says Ava. “What’s your time?”

“How ‘bout I tell you after we play?” Sara’s character begins to run and with a chuckle Ava moves Clarke to run alongside her. Raven may be the brightest character but she’s got nothing on Griffin’s speed.

At Murder Gulch Ava waits while Sara sets up the game. It’s one of the longest missions, giving them fifty-five minutes to kill all the assigned targets listed on a kill sheet. While there are no side missions the breadth of the targets and the stealth required to not get caught is impressive.

Their shared knowledge of the game makes unreasonably quick work of the first seven targets, but Ava always gets bogged down on the eighth.

“This part of the damn game is so frustrating,” says Sara. Ava watches Raven duck down to crawl through a culvert in order to reach the other side of a road without being spotted by security.

“If those security guards were part of the mission-”

“I know.”

Ava follows Clarke behind and imagines for a moment that it’s her and Sara crawling through his tunnel. Maybe Sara would glance over her shoulder as the darkness builds around them. Maybe Ava would reach forward and hook a finger through one of the loops in Sara’s pants to make sure they stay together in the darkness.

Even though they have no strategy to shorten the eighth kill it goes smoother than ever for Ava. This is a mission that requires two players and, to be frank, her usual teammates suck compared to Lance. She’s so perfect.

Ava shakes her head as they continue forward. The game progresses at a good clip and Ava avoids looking at the timer for most of the run. She finally caves when they have one target let, an older woman who both looks like and is a hardened killer. Sara takes point and Ava backs her up. They’ve been rotating all mission, sharing the burdens of both making the lead positions and providing reliable support.

“Fuck yes!” Sara’s yell makes Ava grin as the counter stops. “Shit, we did it!”

“We beat your time?” They smoked Ava’s. The fastest she’s completed this mission is 32:40, a respectable speed by any measure. The number blinking on the screen right now is 24.25.

“By a lot,” says Sara. “Remind me to message you for all the killer two-player missions.”

Ava lets the celebratory invite hang in the air for a moment. “Sure,” she says.

The screen changes, the leaderboard showing up. Ava gasps. “We beat the top?”

“Oh my god,” says Sara. “We did.” Their handles are lighting up the number one spot, a good seventeen seconds faster than second place.

“Wow,” says Ava. “Maybe we really should do the other two-player missions together.” She backs out of the main screen and shifts over to look at Sara’s profile. Toggling through to achievements she sees that the other gamer is top five in seven individual missions and top ten in an additional four. Her accomplishments are about matched to those listed on Ava’s profile.

Want to play again? The words sit on Ava’s tongue, ready to continue chipping away at the barrier that exists between herself and Sara. Before she can let them out, though, Sara speaks.

“This has been a blast, Ava, but I have this thing called work.”

Right, thinks Ava. “Yeah, me too.”

“See you around?”

It’s a question. Why is it a question? Sara should know that, despite her better judgement, Ava can’t stop interacting with her. “Sure.”

Ava could ask Sara to play tomorrow. But would that break this tentative whatever it is? Friendship?

“Bye, SharperDirectives.”

Ava laughs, saving and backing out of her own game as she watches Raven disappear under the opaque menu.

Bye, Ava thinks.

**Sara:**

Sara’s alarm goes off at 5:30. She rolls out of bed and grabs a shirt. After hitting the bathroom she makes her way to the kitchen to put on some coffee. She glances at her phone. Ten minutes. When she sits down on the couch she grabs the controller and headset, both where she left them the night before. The PS4 startup sound does more to wake her up then her alarm did. Toggling over to the game section, she selects League of Assassins. While it loads she checks her coffee. Almost done.

“Sara?”

The voice in her headset is soft as Sara makes her way back to the couch.

“Good morning,” Sara responds. “Coffee’s almost on.”

“Mmm, you’re ahead of me.” Ava is still using that voice modulator, so Sara imagines that she sounds tired. “Haven’t started mine yet. Late night.”

“I saw.”

Ava had been up late commenting against a troll attacking one of TB Gaming’s other releases. Sara doesn’t admit to herself that she wanted to step in and help. She does allow that it was fun to silently cheer for Ava.

“Can’t help a girl out, can you?” Ava chuckles.

“You’re still new to gaming socials,” says Sara. “Gotta earn your stripes.”

This is the fifth day in a row that they gotten up to play together. The morning after their first gaming session both women got up and went online without planning it beforehand. Sara thinks it’s nice, like having a secret friend. And none of the people she usually plays with are logged on this early so it’s safer.

Safer because Ava is supposed to be her competitor.

“You know I’m no noob,” says Ava. The voice modulator gives a loud yawn and Sara laughs.

“Was that a yawn? The great Ava Sharpe is tired?”

“No.”

Sara and Ava haven’t moved their characters yet. They’ve been in game for the entirety of this conversation. “Please guard Raven for me,” says Sara. She gets up to head for the kitchen.

“Don’t worry, I’ll watch your girlfriend.”

“Ha.” Sara smirks as she pours her cup.

“Bring me some coffee, will you?”

“They haven’t developed that technology yet,” says Sara.

“What, a car?”

Sara grunts. “A matter transporter. I’m not driving anywhere right now.”

Talking is easier in the mornings, Sara thinks. She wanders back into the living room and sits down, leaving the controller on the couch. This feels more like a phone call. Normally they’d already be running a mission by now. The early mornings must be getting to them.

“Oh, hell no,” says Ava. Sara watches as Clarke guts a man coming up on Raven’s left.

“What the hell, she’s just standing there!” The voice comes through because they’ve interacted with the player. The connection will last through his death scene and into his respawn, until and if he gets close again.

“She’s my friend,” comes Ava’s fake voice.

“Sure, friend. God, I hate gamer girls.”

“Asshole,” says Sara. She hears the click that indicates he’s gone.

“What a piece of shit,” says Ava. She brings Clarke over to stand next to Raven. “Got that coffee?”

“Yes.” Sara blows on it and knows that Ava can hear the sound. “It smells like morning.”

“God you’re mean.” Ava takes out Clarke’s sword and levels it at Raven. “I ought to finish you off right here.”

“Go for it,” says Sara. She grins as Ava puts away the weapon.

“What do you want to do today?” Ava’s voice, in the modulator, is low and soft, like her own preference is sleep.

“I don’t know. Talking is nice.”

“Talking.” Sara wonders if Ava’s voice sounds as thoughtful as the modulator. She hopes so. They sit in the silence for a moment, until Sara takes her first sip of coffee. “Ah!”

“Sara! What happened?”

“Mah coffeh’s hawt! I burn mah ton.”

“Oh my god I thought you died!”

Sara holds her tongue out and breathes like she’s panting. “Shut up, it hurts.” She manages to sound more or less normal this time.

“That’s karma for teasing me about having coffee, babe.”

Babe. Friend. Sara smiles even though her tongue is pulsing. She hears something scratchy in the background of the headset, like coffee grounds being poured. “Are you making coffee?”

There’s a pause. “Maybe?”

“So who’s gonna kill this guy?” As Sara speaks a player walks up to the still Raven and Clarke. He moves a hand to his holster. “Shit!” Sara spills coffee on her wrist as she puts her mug down, reaching for the controller. She brings out her sword and slices the guy’s arm as he raises his gun to point at Clarke.

“No!” The person controlling the guy sounds female, maybe. “You’re clearly not playing!”

“We’re having coffee,” says Sara, running them through with her sword. “Or spilling it on ourselves, anyway.”

“Speak for yourself,” says Ava.

The deceased player scoffs as their character’s body disappears.

“Wait, did you spill your coffee on yourself while saving me?” Ava laughs as Clarke begins to move again.

“No,” Sara says.

“Liar. Do you need a minute?”

“No. Whatever. Got your coffee?”

“I’ll pause when it’s ready.”

“Good. Let’s play.”

At her desk, hours later, Sara has the perfect insult to post about TB Gaming. Luckily Sara designed it the other day because today she can’t seem to focus. She looks at Jax’s rendering of the idea, a version of Clarke swatting at a fly near her face. If the viewer zooms in on the image they can see that the bug is wearing Lexa’s clothing and has her dark hair streaming behind its head. _Why deal with bugs when you can play a known champ?_ Instagram. Snapchat. Twitter. The image goes everywhere, and Sara smiles as the likes come in. The brand war is building momentum despite their early morning games, and Sara’s glad that Ava hasn’t brought up their work, outside of the occasional playful jab, in the mornings.

Besides, TBG gives as good as they get.

After lunch Sara gets a notification from Twitter. Ava’s posted something. Sara clicks over to see a comic book style cartoon featuring Lexa and Clarke. In the first panel Lexa is standing by herself, looking straight at the viewer. _Want to know a secret?_ The second panel has her walking up to Clarke, a smirk on her face. _Every female character finds inspiration in the past._ Next Lexa has a knife out, point poised under Clarke’s chin. Clarke’s eyes are wide and her mouth is open. _But the old best make way for what’s new._ The final panel is Lexa cleaning the knife. _Else the new will take over by force._

Sara hits the comment bubble.

_we all know they’d kiss before they killed each other, right?_

No. She scrolls up to see the cartoon and her comment, and takes a screenshot of both. In the actual comment Sara deletes the words, then drums her finger on her keyboard, light enough to avoid typing anything. She tries three more phrases, each a bit cringier than the last, before she rests her head on her desk. Maybe words aren’t the way to go. A quick gif search and she has it. Sara posts Eve and Villanelle, facing one another on the bed. Eve’s knife is against Villanelle’s stomach. _another scene that didn’t end in death, hon._ And Tweet.

Sara pulls up the screenshot she took. Within a minute she’s removed all identifying indicators of the two accounts in question. With a grin she texts it to Ava. A few minutes later, while going through her emails, she gets a reply.

sharperdirectives  
  
SARA. If we were in the same room right now I’d throw a pillow at your head.  
  
🤕  
  
just kidding i’d duck  
  
No way you’d be fast enough.  
  
would you bandage my head?  
  
From a wound inflicted by a pillow?  
  
Are you joking?  
  
no, i’m bored  
  
Slow day?  
  
not really. i’m just not in it  
  
I get those days too.  
  


Sara wants Ava to say something else, to somehow make her feel a bit better. But Sara isn’t Ava’s responsibility, and Sara shouldn’t be telling her competitor that she’s off. If Sara received that info from a competitor she’d filet them regardless of who they were or what type of day Sara was having. Wouldn’t she?

Sara opens the photos on her phone. There’s a file of ridiculous comments, memes, and insinuations from fans that she and Sharpe, or Clarke and Lexa, should get together. Most of them are funny, a few are a little too adamant, and a handful are just plain weird. She clicks to her favorite one, a drawing of two stick people, one obviously female and the other kind of gender ambiguous, with hair that would be shaggy on a man but short on a woman and what might be boobs in the midsection. Instead of heads, both figures are topped with the Legends and TBG logos, and they’re dancing. Legends dips TBG at the end of the gif while the words _dancing devils_ appear. Sara still isn’t sure what that means. Other viewers were equally confused. Sara remembers the number of comments that contained all question marks and other signs of confusion posted under the gif. She’s smiling at a soft drawing of Lexa and Clarke sitting together when her phone vibrates again. 

sharperdirectives  
  
For a laugh:  
  


The attached video Ava sends is on youtube. Sara clicks over and rolls her eyes when she recognizes the conspiracy theorist asshole on the screen, a bore of a man who calls himself FakeNoobs. He starts in without any preamble, claiming that TBG and Legends are working together as part of a larger mind-controlling conglomerate to create games that instill violence and anger into the youth of today. He’s really getting into it when the video freezes. A different voice cuts over the image of the troll, who’s frozen with spittle flying from his lips.

“This fool would have you believe the false narrative that violence is brought on by video games. But I think love is what gaming truly creates.”

The angry man disappears, replaced by some tweets from Legends to several other company accounts. All of the posts are sarcastic in nature and seem kind of personal without the context of what Sara was responding to. Sara chuckles, she can’t help it.

“Whoever runs the Legends accounts has been searching for love for years! And I’d be lying if I said they haven’t found it.”

The video changes to Lexa, then posts from TB Gaming about Legends start covering the screen.

“Legends has finally found a brand that plays the game their way. And let me tell you, the fact that this took years to happen shows us that mister trollface is wrong, video games don’t teach violence and anger. They foster love and community based on that universal truth, sarcasm. So leave the gamers alone, let their favorite companies be, and enjoy the sexual tension that exists between these two perfect examples of gamer animosity. Please.”

The voice pauses as the screen fills with the three tweets that have included pet names between Sara and Ava. “Let us have their love. Thank you.”

sharperdirectives  
  
oh.my.god  
  
Right?? People are wild.  
  
i’m not sure what i just watched  
  
Well. You’ve been looking for love through social media and sarcasm. I thought the thesis was clear.  
  
no that makes sense  
  
what i don’t get is why he had to make a video about it  
  
?  
  
now everyone will know  
  
😲 You’re right.  
  
k i have work to do now  
  
Me too. Stop distracting me.  
  
right, play it like that  
  
game tonight?  
  
Absolutely.  
  
👍  
  


Somehow settling back into work is easier than it’s been all day. Sara gets through her emails within half an hour and soon has the beginning ideas for a few new jabs against some companies who have come for Legends. She feels good as she closes her laptop and grabs her phone. Her day really turned around for some reason, she thinks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I had a rather hard time coming up with a title for this chapter, which is funny because when I read fics I forget chapter titles almost immediately. (I usually look at them again after I finish, but still.)
> 
> I feel like Sara and Ava are moving fast and slow, and I like it.
> 
> Thank you for the comments and kudos, friends. And I hope you still like it!
> 
> Best,  
> Erin
> 
> P.S. I hope you like the formatting of the texts. I was going to write them out like I did the DMs but my wife said it'd be easier for more visual people to read it if the distinctions between who sent what text is as clear as possible. And honestly having the name of each person before every text was annoying me. Plus I took an HTML class back in hs (uhhhhh like 15 years ago) and it feels kinda cool to try and figure it out again. Let me know what you think!


	13. Nerves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara’s not cute. She’s determined and conniving and thoughtful and funny and has bright eyes that make Ava feel more aware of herself than she normally is, but she’s not cute. They’re enemies. Professional rivals. Friendly professional rivals, but still. And to think of blurring that line this close to the launch of 2213, to think of showing Sara the game and Ava’s apartment, is really-
> 
> \-------
> 
> Come on Lance, she tells herself. You’re smoother than this. Besides, Ava is only a friend. Sara doesn’t even know if she’s into women. She ignores the memory of Ava’s expression when Sara hinted at asking if she is single. 
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava wants to flaunt the rules. Meanwhile, Sara tries to keep her cool but is way too thirsty. Whoops!

**Ava:**

2213 comes out in one week. God, the lead up to it has been incredible. Sure, Ava’s worked on projects that came to fruition for the Parks Department, but the parks were always, you know, open before the projects launched. She never received messages asking what it’s like to be in the parks, or how well the projects will work because the visitors have been scorned before. She’s never had this breadth of interest, this response. And when she stops to think about it, to really appreciate these interactions, Ava finds herself thinking about Sara Lance instead.

Sara Lance, whose voice Ava hears first most mornings and who’s never played 2213. Not once. And Ava can’t change that, not until the game comes out. But Ava will be fucking busy that day and Sara won’t wait to play. Ava will miss seeing her choose weapons and explore the world for the first time.

Ava remembers the look in Sara’s eye as she watched the side-by-side gifs of Clarke and Lexa beheading their enemies. She wants to see that look again when Sara plays 2213 for the first time. She doesn’t want to hear Sara gush about it hours later, or worse, the next morning. She doesn’t want to hear about it over a headset either.

Her phone is in her hand. Ava should be reworking ad copy for three websites that are running a feature on 2213, but instead she opens her texts. She chooses _CaptDiesMore2_ and drafts a message.

_Come to my apartment and play 2213._

Ava deletes the words and backs out of messenger. Instead she opens her notes, the thoughts that she never sent to Sara. She hasn’t touched them in a while, not since she and Sara started playing LoA together. She hits _Edit_ and begins to type.

_Come play 2213 with me. Please._

_I want to be there when you play it for the first time._

_I bet you’ll look cute._

Ava deletes that last line. Sara’s not cute. She’s determined and conniving and thoughtful and funny and has bright eyes that make Ava feel more aware of herself than she normally is, but she’s not cute. They’re enemies. Professional rivals. Friendly professional rivals, but still. And to think of blurring that line this close to the launch of 2213, to think of showing Sara the game and Ava’s apartment, is really-

Ava backs out of her notes and puts the phone down. She stares at her computer screen for a minute or so before she picks up her phone again.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
Hey Capt. Excited for 2213?  
  
🙄  
  
u know it  
  
What if I said you could play it early?  
  
i’d ask if u were ill  
  
You can play it early  
  
If you’re quiet about it.  
  
R U ILL  
  
?  
  
?  
  
No.  
  
’cause i can bring u soup or smthing  
  
You’d bring me soup?  
  
...  
  
no.  
  
I don’t believe you.  
  
Do you want to play the game or not?  
  
duh.  
  
of course i do.  
  
8:30 tonight.  
  
__ ____ Street  
  
🤯  
  
Don’t be late.  
  
if this is real i will die.  
  
just so u know  
  


Ava doesn’t put her phone down, she tosses it across her desk.

“What’s up?” Gary pokes his head around her cubicle wall because of course he does.

“Nothing,” Ava says. She turns back to her computer and clicks around a bit, not really doing anything.

“Stressed for the launch?”

No. “Yes.”

“Don’t be. You’re killing it.” Gary rolls his chair around the wall dividing them and reaches over to pat Ava’s arm, but she flinches away. While she likes Gary she doesn’t want him touching her. There’s something about that grin and the way he’s constantly getting in her space that is unnerving.

“Thanks,” Ava manages.

How could she be so stupid? She glances at her phone as Gary rolls back to his own desk. Inviting Sara Lance over to play a not-yet-released game, in this economy? She snorts aloud at her own joke, then imagines Gary’s confused expression.

Maybe she can pretend like her copy is broken, she thinks. Maybe they’ll get distracted and do something else. Now that’s a thought with some potential, the more baser part of her brain provides. Ava wants to scoff again but can’t bring herself to worry Gary more than she already has. Instead she kicks the bottom of her desk as she pulls up the ad copy. Lots to do, she tells herself. Focus up, Sharpe.

In the evening Ava slumps on her couch in front of her TV. The controller is in her hand but she hasn’t moved Jesse far from their start position in Sky City. Minecraft is a good game for when Ava’s feeling lackluster, but that’s not the feeling swirling in Ava’s gut tonight. She puts the controller down without turning off the game, trying to relax for a second, when there’s a knock at the door.

She came, Ava thinks. Standing up, Ava moves to the door and pauses. She runs a hand through her hair, which she combed through an hour ago, then wipes her hands on her pants. She could leave the door closed, act like she’s not home. Her hand goes to the doorknob and turns it.

“Hey!” Sara doesn’t move to come in. She’s holding a six pack of beer up with a hopeful grin on her face. “Hope you like beer?”

“Hi. Beer’s great.” Ava steps to the side and gestures for Sara to come in. She watches Sara hesitate for a moment before entering. It’s like they’ve crossed some kind of bridge that neither of them are willing to acknowledge. “Um, kitchen’s there. We can put it in the fridge.”

“Want one?” Sara puts the pack on the counter and removes a bottle.

“Please,” says Ava. She opens a drawer and pulls out a bottle opener. Once the other beers are away they head into the living room, Sara trailing behind.

“Uh, this is my apartment,” says Ava. She gestures with the hand not holding the beer. “Here’s the living room, bathroom and bedroom are through there.”

Ava has a brief vision of Sara standing in her bedroom. Ava takes a sip of the beer to hide whatever the hell her expression is doing. Sara’s in her living room, she reminds herself. They’re going to game, and nothing more.

“Nice place,” says Sara. She looks over the art on the walls. “Good art.”

“Thanks.” Ava steps to the couch to pick up the controller.

“Minecraft?”

Ava shrugs as she gets out of the game.

“You’re not going to save?” Sara looks at the couch, then at Ava. She sits down, but like she’s doing something wrong or she’s unsure.

Ava shakes her head. “I’d just started playing.” An hour ago. She toggles to the 2213 image that shows when the disk is in the system. “Here.” Ava holds out the controller.

“Thanks.” Sara scoots forward a bit to grab it. The controller almost drops when Ava pulls her hand away. Sara looks at the TV, holding the controller tight.”I could watch you play first though?”

“You’ve seen me play.” Ava steps away from the couch and turns back to face Sara. She gestures as she speaks. “You should sit in the middle so you’re directly in front of the TV. It’s the best spot.”

“I don’t mind-” Sara stops talking as Ava sits in one of the side chairs. Ava watches her shift to the middle of the couch. They make eye contact for a moment before Sara looks away to start the game. “Should I play from where you are?”

“You can start your own story.” Ava knows it’ll take longer for Sara to start playing that way, but she wants Sara to get the full experience. She takes a sip of her beer.

They sit in silence for a moment as Sara selects a new game. Ava watches Sara’s face as the load screen turns into the intro sequence, building the story of 2213 and how Lexa comes to realize that she is a clone. Ava realizes she’s staring after a minute so she turns to the screen and watches the storyline progress. The beer’s not bad, she thinks. She takes another sip. Kind of fruity, a good light spring beer.

“I’m glad you like it,” says Sara. Ava looks over to see that Sara’s ignoring the game to watch Ava drink.

“You’re missing the backstory!” Ava points to the screen as Lexa realizes that her fellow clones are always given the most dangerous, deadly missions. “This is the best part.”

“I don’t think so,” says Sara. She turns back to the screen as Ava squirms at her comment. Sara’s always so flirty, and although Ava knows her words don’t come from a place of interest they still pull at something in Ava. Like they did in the bar, when Sara was toying with her.

The story continues, characters talking intermittently as the suspenseful music builds and recedes. Sara rocks a bit in the tense parts, which Ava finds distractingly cute.

Okay, Ava thinks. Sara Lance is cute. So what?

The game switches pace, giving Sara control of the character for the first time. Lexa is clad in her black fight suit, the outfit she wore when she decided to make war against her creators. Sara learns the controls incredibly fast, only looking at the guide once. While she plays Ava sneaks out her phone and starts recording Sara playing. Sara notices about a minute into the video.

“What, you’re bored already?”

Ava presses stop and laughs at Sara’s face. Mock hurt and indignation look funny on Lance. “No. Pause the game.” Ava leans forward and holds the phone out to Sara, who watches herself for about ten seconds before she starts laughing.

“Why’d you do that? I look ridiculous.” 

“No,” says Ava. “You’re having fun doing something new.”

Sara unpauses the game. “You’d better not post that anywhere. And don’t record any more”

“I wouldn’t,” says Ava. She smiles, then frowns at Sara’s quick gameplay. “Do you always take to a game this fast?” Ava pockets her phone and leans forward, elbows balanced on her thighs.

“Don’t you?” Sara gives Ava a look that Sara does not normally learn this fast, but if she did she would expect Ava to possess the same kind of speed. Ava wishes she were still recording. “Can you keep a secret?”

“I’m keeping you, aren’t I?” Ava shakes her head for a second. “I mean I haven’t told anyone we talk, or even that we know each other, so yeah. I can keep a secret. Can you?”

“Wow. I’m shocked you can with that runaway mouth.”

Ava scoffs. “Shut up.” She waits a moment. “What’s your secret?”

“I’ve played this before.” As if to prove her point she wanders over to a set of drawers that, if opened in a specific combination that is hinted at throughout the level, will let her out of this area. She opens the drawers and heads to the exit before waiting to see if it worked.

“What?” Ava leans back and grabs a pillow, which she chucks at Sara. “How the hell-”

“Ah!” Sara raises the controller to block the pillow. “You need to bandage me if I get hurt!”

“How did you get a copy?” Ava thinks about the harmful shit that could be posted from a pre-release copy of 2213. This version has glitches and bugs. Did Ava somehow link Lance to a downloadable copy?

“I have my ways.” Sara turns back to the game, but presses pause. “Don’t worry, I’ve been getting pre-releases of our big competitors for years. I never use anything from them on the socials.” The statement is true enough, although 2213 is the first pre-release game she’s ever gotten from TB Gaming.

“Really?” Ava raises an eyebrow.

“Really. I’ll send you a picture of my collection of pre-releases when I get home.”

Ava crosses her arms over her chest. “You don’t have to do that.”

Sara turns to look at Ava, but she doesn’t speak until Ava lowers her arms. “I won’t blindside you, I promise. I’ll keep our fight professional.”

“As long as I do?”

Sara’s eyes travel up and down Ava’s body for some reason. Ava feels like she’s being x-rayed. “Regardless of what you do.”

That’s a big deal. Ava lets out a puff of breath and nods towards the game. “You gonna keep playing or what?” She watches Sara turn back to the TV and unpause the game. Lexa moves smoothly under her control, like Ava expected. And that glint is in Sara’s eye, the excitement of seeing something new. Or maybe it’s about something else, Ava thinks. Something to do with being here, with Ava’s trust.

“What do you do with them?”

“What?” Sara slinks Lexa along a tunnel that Ava knows is unoccupied. She could run.

“With the pre-release games?”

Sara shrugs. “Play around. Figure out how I would market them.”

“Nerd.” Ava smiles. “How would you market 2213?”

“I don’t know, this is an easy game to enjoy so there’s not a lot that’s difficult about your job right now.”

“Rude.”

“I didn’t say you’re doing a bad job!” Sara laughs. “I think you’re kicking ass, although don’t you dare tell anyone I said that.” Lexa walks forward with more purpose, more confidence. “A game this good, you could have done a hundred different things and turned out a decent audience.”

“Ha, right. Clearly you’re not insulting me at all.”

“No. I mean, your audience isn’t going to be decent.” Sara runs Lexa to the end of another tunnel, stops, pulls out a knife, and stills the character. She turns to look at Ava. “TBG isn’t gonna know what to do with all the gamers you’re gonna bag them.”

“Stop.” Ava waves a hand towards Sara. “Sales predictions have been low, you’re just trying to feed my ego.”

“No.” Sara presses pause and hovers over _Save Game._ “Should I?”

“Yes.” Ava tries not to think about what that means but her mind won’t listen. Sara wants to come back to play again, and Ava is admitting that she sees a future in which that could happen.

“Have you looked at projections from last week?” Sara clicks save and starts to back out. “Do you want to do two-player?”

“No. I’ve been a bit busy.”

“You should. I’ll send you a few articles.”

Sara will? Ava looks at her hands. She’s never had to deal with predictions about how well a project would go before. Parks initiatives are about drawing a crowd, but there aren’t many outside journalists interested in writing about any of it.

“Two-player?”

Ava takes a swig of her beer and stands up. “Sure.” She walks to the console to grab her second controller. When she goes to sit back down she notices that Sara’s moved from the middle of the couch.

“Sit here,” says Sara. She nods to the open space beside her. “Better angle on the TV.”

It’s not. The best spot is in the middle of the couch, everywhere else is ok. Ava sits next to Sara anyway and watches her navigate through the menu. “Have you played multiplayer before?”

“Yes,” says Sara. She shifts in her seat. “Once, with Gideon. The first time I played. You?”

“No.” Ava quirks her head to the side, curious and unnervingly concerned. “Is Gideon your-”

“Coworker.” Ava catches Sara giving her a slight smile as she says the word. “Friend.”

“So you showed the game to a coworker.” Legends can’t have a copy of 2213 floating around. They’d do something with it, somehow damage TBG’s reputation with it. This Gideon person could be sharing the game with every Legend.

“She showed me.” Sara shrugs. “I am borrowing it until the game releases. It’s the only copy we have.”

Ava knows that 'we' means Legends. The social media manager of Legends having a pre-release copy of 2213 should not relax Ava’s shoulders. This knowledge shouldn’t make Ava feel like maybe she’s out of the woods. And yet-

In a breath Sara is grinning. “Don’t have anyone you can trust with your own hot new game?”

“No, none of my friends are all that good, and I don’t, uh, there’s no one else.” Sara’s fishing, and Ava knows what info she’s hoping to catch. “Besides,” she gestures to the screen with her controller. “Company secrets.”

“Right.” Sara clears her throat and looks back at the screen and the options for various levels. “So where do you want to start?”

**Sara:**

Ava is sitting next to her. Sara has been fine all night, and sitting on the same couch was her idea, but damn. She focuses on the controller in her hand, on pressing the buttons to make that mass of pixels follow her commands. Lexa does jump, but she misses the other side of the bridge by a few inches.

“Now I have to come down with you.” Sara watches Anya, the character that Ava is controlling, jump into the hole intentionally.

“Sorry,” Sara says. She walks Lexa forward and brushes their shoulders together.

“Don’t be, we still got this.” Ava leans over and knocks her shoulder against Sara’s, a mockery of the on-screen action. For a second Sara freezes. Her character on the screen does too.

Come on Lance, she tells herself. You’re smoother than this. Besides, Ava is only a friend. Sara doesn’t even know if she’s into women. She ignores the memory of Ava’s expression when Sara hinted at asking if she is single. With a shake of her head Sara makes Lexa jog. “Shit.” She stops the character in time for a soldier to step out of the shadows and shoot Lexa.

Ava laughs. “Wow Sara, I thought you’d be better at this.” Anya is still in the shadows. Ava has her sneak up and kill Lexa’s murderer.

I am better at this. Sara wipes a hand on her jeans, then grips the controller again. “Wait for me.” Once Lexa respawns she begins running.

“Of course.” Sara hears Ava put down her beer bottle without looking over. It sounds empty. “Do you want another?”

“Sure.” She feels the couch shift as Ava gets up. Lexa reaches the gap in the bridge, where Sara has her fall down and make haste to Lexa. She hits pause.

“Want anything else? Are you hungry?” Sara hears the fridge open.

“No thanks.” Sara puts the controller aside and wipes both her hands on her jeans this time. Normally she doesn’t sweat when she games. She picks up her controller as Ava sets two beers on the coffee table in front of the couch. Sara grabs her first beer and downs the last two gulps.

“See?” Ava smiles. “You ended up waiting for me.” She sits down, definitely closer to Sara than before. “Ready?”

Sara wants to press their sides together, to accept a stronger level of physical affection from Ava. Instead she picks up her new beer and takes a sip. After swallowing she puts the bottle back and takes her controller in both hands. Better. She resumes play, moving with stealth as she goes forward this time. No running, careful to check the shadows around the edges of the hall. Anya does the same. “What’s the point of this mission?”

“From what I’ve heard and seen through demos the point becomes clear as we move forward. We have to find some clues that, well, clue us into what’s going on.”

“Like a puzzle?”

“Yes.”

It’s another minute or so until they reach a locked door. Sara has Lexa shove her shoulder against it to no avail. “Some badass,” she says with a chuckle.

“Only ridiculous action movies have characters who muscle locked doors open.” Ava opens Anya’s carry pack on the screen to see if she has anything useful.

“Oh!” Sara walks Lexa a step around Anya and raises her knife. She takes two steps before hitting a guardswoman with the hilt. Once the NPC bends over Lexa grabs her hair and slits her throat.

“Okay,” Ava says. “I take it back, you are good at this.”

“Just had to warm up first.” Sara shoves her shoulder into Ava this time and smirks when Ava looks startled. “Let’s loot her.”

“That’s a good idea.” Ava turns Anya to the corpse and has her kneel. She finds a notebook and a pen. The pages of the notebook are full, but the text is mostly blurred. The three legible pages contain coded words that by themselves don’t mean anything.

“Let’s go loot that other guy you killed.” Sara turns Lexa back in the direction they came.

As Ava has Anya follow she laughs. “You mean that guy who killed you?”

“Shut up.” Sara glances at Ava. They watch one another for a moment and Sara imagines leaning forward, pressing their lips together. She looks back at the screen and continues forward. They play for another couple hours, both relaxing into the shared mission. Their movements are fluid and it doesn’t take them long to develop a pattern of play. While they play they each have a third beer.

“Oh wow,” says Ava. She holds her phone. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Is that all?” Sara lets out a yawn after she speaks and hides her grin at Ava’s chuckle.

“We should call it a night,” says Ava. She looks at the table, maybe taking in the empty beer bottles. “You shouldn’t drive. You can stay-”

“Lyft,” says Sara. She takes out her phone and pulls up the app. “I took one here, actually.” With a few taps and a bit of scrolling she’s secured a ride.

“Good.” Ava holds out a hand for Sara’s controller and saves the game. Sara watches and can’t figure out why that feels weird. “Um, you can stay until you get the message that they’re here if you want.”

Sara leans back on the couch, rolling her head back to rest on the fabric. “Ok.”

“Ok,” echos Ava.

They sit, quiet and perhaps both lost in thought, until Sara’s phone lets her know that her car’s here. 

“I can walk you down?” Ava sounds shy when she makes the request, her tone different than Sara’s heard it before.

Sara stands up and walks towards the door. “Thanks, but I’m good.” She hears Ava get up and follow her. Sara turns to face her, ready to say a quick goodnight and leave.

“Thanks for coming,” says Ava. She pulls Sara into a hug before Sara can react, and for a second they just stand there, Sara wrapped stiffly in Ava’s arms. Sara breathes out as she raises her own hands to hold Ava, then they’re pushing away from one another. Sara looks at the door. Her quick exit dies in her mind, swallowed in the warmth of Ava’s embrace.

“Thank you for having me,” Sara says.

“Anytime.”

There’s another moment, for no reason, before Sara reaches for the doorknob. She smiles at Ava, feeling like a middle school kid after an amazingly awkward first date. One that she’d like to repeat.

“Bye,” she says. Sara pulls open the door and leaves, wondering if Ava would want to game together again.

In the Lyft Sara takes out her phone and looks at the conversations she’s had with Ava. Texts, DMs, comments on accounts that have gone a bit further than they might have with other brands. After she unlocks her apartment she takes out her phone again.

sharperdirectives  
  
thx again for tonight  
  
You're welcome. I had fun too.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends!
> 
> So yeah. Less oblivious in some ways, but trying to keep in professional. And I rather enjoyed writing Sara in this chapter - for once poor Ava isn't the only disaster. 😄
> 
> Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the texting format - I'm glad you all seem to like it!  
> And, as always, thank you for the kudos and the comments. They mean a ton, honestly.
> 
> Best,  
> Erin


	14. Checking Phones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wait a second. Are you-” Gary lifts a hand to point a finger at Ava, letting his unfinished sentence hang like it's all she needs to understand him.
> 
> “Am I what?” Ava raises an eyebrow. He must misunderstand because he looks unreasonably happy.
> 
> “Are you family?” His voice goes up on the last word, his smile growing wider by the second.
> 
> Ava rolls her eyes. Wow. Gary does understand, and for some reason he’s using a question that Ava hasn’t been asked in years to suss out the truth. She smirks at him. “Yes.”
> 
> \-------
> 
> Sara knows the rush of getting a new game out into the world with the support it deserves. Yet every day she stares at her phone, hoping for a message. Each morning she wakes at 5:30 and checks her PS4 to see if SharperDirectives is active. And at night she worries that playing 2213 one time in Ava’s apartment is all the future they’re relationship has ever held.
> 
> OR
> 
> Gary pries and shares while Ava tries to focus. Meanwhile, Sara misses a growing friendship.

**Ava:**

Ava’s desk is uncharacteristically cluttered. She has copies of illustrations, game design, printouts of her analytics, and some pages that she isn’t going to give a thorough read. Half of it is from before she came in this morning, dropped by well-meaning coworkers or upper management. Sorting through everything has been an ordeal and she hasn’t yet made her way to the recycling bin for the nonsense. Instead she is periodically scrolling through her socials on her laptop, going over her analytics, and drafting a few last-minute messages to send out in an email blast to devoted TB Gaming players. Her phone pulls her out of her work when she gets a text.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
that totally sucks. i can’t work without lunch.  
  
Me neither.  
  
I’m not gonna skip it, I’ll eat at my desk.  
  


And she’s been texting Sara too. The conversation starts professionally enough, with Sara sending her those articles she’d mentioned. Ava lost herself in them for the first twenty minutes of her shift, looking at how the purchase projections changed and the fact that two of the three articles attribute that change entirely to TBG’s socials. It makes Ava nervous. They could be wrong. She doesn’t express those concerns to Sara, just thanks her for sending the articles along. Then she asks her about a move Sara made while playing 2213 the other night. Sara responds with a joke about teaching noobs and a frank answer, and now they are somehow onto the importance of lunch.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
k good.  
  
wouldn’t want my hottest competition to lose her edge.  
  


“Who ya texting?” Gary makes Ava jump in her seat.

“Damn it Gary.” She puts her phone on her desk, screen down.

“Sorry.” He holds up his hands like he’s trying to ward off her anger. “Just curious.”

“No one,” says Ava. “I’m looking at Twitter.”

Gary sighs. “You have Twitter open on your computer,” he says. Ava turns to see that he’s right, it’s the tab she currently has front and center. “Come on, you were typing and you had this look on your face.”

Ava runs a hand through her hair and glares at her coworker. “What look?”

“I don’t know, a happy look. Like you’d just been told you could have a puppy.” He smiles like he’s imaging an actual puppy. Ava wants to throw something at him.

Ava scoffs. “No puppies, Gary. I’m just texting someone in the industry.” Ava wonders why this goof is interested anyway. It’s not like he should be jealous, she has less than zero interest in him.

“Who?”

“None of your business.”

“Right.” Gary reaches over and strums his fingers on her desk, making a rhythmic tapping sound. “Well if I were you, and someone had me grinning at my phone like that, I’d just ask him out already.”

“There’s no way I’d ask any him out,” says Ava. This is as good a time as any to give Gary a hint of no, although he’ll probably miss it.

“Wait a second. Are you-” Gary lifts his strumming hand and points a finger at Ava, letting his unfinished sentence hang like it's all she needs to understand him.

“Am I what?” Ava raises an eyebrow. He must misunderstand because he looks unreasonably happy.

“Are you family?” His voice goes up on the last word, his smile growing wider by the second.

Ava rolls her eyes. Wow. Gary does understand, and for some reason he’s using a question that Ava hasn’t been asked in years to suss out the truth. She smirks at him. “Yes.”

“Me too!” Gary leans in to hug Ava. She pushes back before he can snag her.

“Gary, personal space.”

Gary stops and backs up a smidge. “Sorry.” He exhales. “I don’t know many people like us outside the internet and sometimes I get excited. Here.” He turns and leaves her cubicle, coming back a moment later with his notebook.

Great, thinks Ava. Maybe he has some rainbow shit drawn into his work somewhere and he’s about to explain to me the subtlety of his genius.

“Look,” Gary says. He flips the notebook to one of the back pages and Ava finds herself staring at a handsome, if mischievous looking, man with short blonde hair and dark eyes. His jaw is covered in stubble and he’s wearing a white shirt, tie, and tan trench coat. Ava thinks it’s an oddly specific wardrobe, unless it’s drawn from life. “That’s John. He was my boyfriend for like three weeks, then he dumped me.”

This is worse than subtle rainbow shit, Ava thinks. “Oh,” she says. “He looks-”

“I know, he’s so handsome.” Gary stares at the drawing for a moment.

“Gary.” Ava waits until he looks at her. “Why did you show me a drawing?”

“What?”

“Don’t you have any pictures on your phone?”

“Of course.” Gary takes out his phone and shows Ava, and honestly the illustration is a real good likeness. And there’s something in his expression, a softer line, that’s missing from the photos. “He always pulls that face for pictures,” Gary says. “The drawing is how he looks when he’s not trying to be impressive.”

Ava nods. That’s weird, but it seems about right. This guy is too vain to be with Gary, and Ava thinks that Gary, even with his high level of affection and dependance, his missed social cues and naivety, deserves better than that.

“I just think,” says Gary, “that if you like someone you should tell her. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, but you should try.” Ava watches him look over the drawing. “I wouldn’t trade my time with John.”

Ava nods again before shaking her head. “No. I’m sorry about John, but that’s exactly why I can’t go out with her. If it doesn’t work out it’d be bad. Really bad.” For my career, Ava adds silently.

“Fine.” Gary takes his phone back, pockets it, and closes his notebook. “But think about it anyway. Don’t let fear throw away potential happiness.”

He should get Tinder, Ava thinks as she turns back to her work.

Ava is able to focus, more or less, until lunch. She doesn’t text Sara either, instead letting herself truly get into the groove of her work. But her food is too hot to touch, microwaved for too long. She takes out her phone and headphones and pulls up the video of Sara playing 2213. The way Sara’s eyes sparkle, the joy in them as she watches the screen, makes Ava feel calm and content. After the second play through she backs out of the camera and puts the phone on her desk. Then she picks it up, moves her food onto her lap so none of her workspace or materials are visible, and snaps a picture. She sends it to Sara.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
See? Eating.  
  
well done  
  
glad to see u’ve mastered the basics of human survival  
  
Basics? There are multiple??  
  
More than food = good???  
  
eh, probably not.  
  


This is a working lunch. Ava pockets her phone and starts picking at her food as she turns to an ad approval she needs to go over.

After Ava finishes her food she pulls her phone out again. She knows there’s no response from Sara. She opens the Notes app on her phone and pulls up the one that contains all the stuff she hasn’t sent to Sara and begins typing.

_Want to get dinner with me? A date?_

Ava backs out of the app and pockets her phone again. I won’t look at it for the rest of the day, she tells herself. If only that were true.

**Sara:**

sharperdirectives  
  
do you want to see my gaming setup after work?  
  


Sara hits send before she can change her mind. For a moment she stares at her phone, watching the circle indicating that it’s sending until it turns into the timestamp. She reads the previous texts, a simple exchange of hellos from yesterday morning. Ava’s been busy these last three days, they’ve hardly had time to text and haven’t talked at all. With the immediacy of 2213’s launch it’s understandable. Sara knows the rush of getting a new game out into the world with the support it deserves. Yet every day she stares at her phone, hoping for a message. Each morning she wakes at 5:30 and checks her PS4 to see if SharperDirectives is active. And at night she worries that playing 2213 one time in Ava’s apartment is all the future their relationship has ever held.

Now is not the time to think about this, Sara tells herself. She turns to her desktop and opens Arrowverse, the updated version that she got from Ray. The changes, including an additional level of gameplay, multiple new timed trials, outfit changes, and character growth potential, drop in a couple of weeks. Sara needs to finish going through the game so she can put together a strong campaign that gradually drops info about what’s coming. The character on the screen, Oliver Queen, has the ability to develop precision with a bow and arrow that would put Katniss Everdeen to shame. He is a fine character, but Sara’s always felt less drawn to him than to others. She doesn’t really know why. The game is fun and challenging, yet she doesn’t spend as much time playing in the world as she does in, say, League of Assassins. Oliver stalks across the screen to where Sara can choose to do some competitive archery to improve her ability or join the first-person shooter storyline. She’s already done the competitive stuff so she jumps into the new level of direct gameplay that Legends has put together.

It’s probably Raven, Sara thinks. She’s always been drawn to the woman’s ability to think through problems, whereas Oliver spends more time punching his issues. That’s also a huge part of the draw of 2213, that players can choose to interact in a way that is more complex, more nuanced, then pure violence. Sure, Sara thinks as she aims at a man on a roof, violence in games can give a rush of nerves, but knowing that more than her aim can influence the outcome really gives her a rush. Plus LoA is funny sometimes, dealing with ridiculous enemies like plots that sometimes border on the absurd.

Sara hits pause and writes a note about one of the antagonists, a man with armor over most of his body.

Ava will want to game again, Sara thinks. She didn’t hesitate to have Sara save her own game and she pulled Sara into a hug. That must mean she feels this thing between them too.

This friendship, Sara tells herself. She glances at the paused game and scribbles another note. Nothing more, nothing less. And Ava’s not ignoring Sara, Ava’s busy. Hell, Sara’s busy. She hasn’t texted Ava more than once a day either. Plus it’s only been three days. Sara is not the type of person to feel bothered by a lack of communication. Usually she’s the one to pull back and not respond to texts right away. She ignores that this is different with Ava as she puts her hands over the keyboard again and resumes the game.

The man covered in body armor doesn’t mess around. He gets right up close, staring Oliver in the eye with a sword in his hand. He had a gun, but Sara managed to knock it away with a well-placed shot before the man noticed Oliver.

“What kind of body armor is this?” Sara asks aloud. She doesn’t believe for one second that any man should be unaffected by arrows shot at point-blank range. He should recoil a bit, possibly suffer broken bones and definitely bruising. He wouldn’t be standing in front of Oliver with a grin on his face. Yet here he is.

Oh, Sara thinks. He’s not a man. She steps Oliver forward and to the side, bringing down Oliver’s arm on the back of the adversary’s neck. With a twist of Oliver’s hand Sara has his panel exposed, confirmation that he’s a robot. Sara moves Oliver quickly away as the robot spins to face him. Now Sara knows what to do. Disable him. Oliver arms himself with a flechette from his left gauntlet and throws it, hitting the robot in his knee. The severed machinery stops functioning as Oliver moves around it and Sara chooses another flechette. When she sticks the robot’s other leg she moves on, not bothering to neutralize it beyond its legs. There’s no point wasting her time since all the robot will be able to do is pull itself forward with its hands, and Oliver moves much faster than that. Sara pauses again to make more notes, this time about the appearance of the robot, the extent of its armor and the look of defiance on its face. She writes some lines about the robot, which she calls the armored man. No point in giving away the reality of this villain.

Her phone hasn’t gone off. Sara picks it up anyway and goes to her texts. There’s no response from Ava, like she knew there wouldn't be. Ava’s busy, Sara knows she’s busy, and if she responds at all it’ll be a no. Sara opens Twitter instead and goes into her DMs. Nothing new from Ava there either. She responds to some of the messages from fans, bringing her standard snark, before going to TB Gaming’s profile There are a couple new tweets from this morning, one about the date that 2213 drops and another inviting people to watch a live stream on Twitch that’s happening now. Sara doesn’t hesitate before clicking the link. She smiles at the altered voice even though it’s different from the one Ava uses when she games with Sara on her personal account. The manner of speaking, the rhythm, is the same. Sara watches for five minutes before leaving to work on the Arrowverse stuff again.

She has an actual job, after all.

An hour before the end of the work day Sara allows herself to open her texts again. Nothing new from Ava. As she stares at the screen she sees three dots appear, indicating that Ava’s drafting a message. Sara stops breathing as the dots disappear, then come back.

Say something, Sara thinks.

Please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't refuse a good "Damn it Gary" moment. I am, after all, only human.  
> Also I mean no disrespect to Arrow or Oliver Queen, I just needed a reason for Sara to rarely play Arrowverse. 🤷
> 
> I'm sorry this one is light on Avalance interaction? Making friends is hard when you work full-time, in my experience.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos, they mean the world to me. 🤗
> 
> I think I'll post tomorrow too 'cause Sara had a short section today, so keep an eye out.
> 
> Best,  
> Erin


	15. "You think you're hilarious"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The work Ava is doing will determine whether Lexa becomes the kind of hero that gamers remember with fondness or never meet. Ava works to get TB Gaming paid, and by extension all of her coworkers and herself. It’s a lot of responsibility and Ava knows she should go home and work.
> 
> \-------
> 
> Sara doesn’t question why she tells her sister that multiple friends are visiting. Probably because she doesn’t want the inquest about the nature of her relationship with Ava Sharpe. Especially since she’s unsure how to answer that herself.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava contemplates professionalism and is hungry. Meanwhile, Sara waits impatiently for something that might not happen.

**Ava:**

Ava looks at the drafted text again. _No thanks, too busy right now._ She hits delete until the words are all gone and rereads Sara’s invitation.

Sara’s gaming space. Ava would love to see her apartment, to spend more time with her, to sit alongside her as they tackle a new level of 2213 together. But she should say no. Especially today. In four days, three really, 2213 will be available to the world. The work Ava is doing will determine whether Lexa becomes the kind of hero that gamers remember with fondness or never meet. Ava works to get TB Gaming paid, and by extension all of her coworkers and herself. It’s a lot of responsibility and Ava knows she should go home and work.

_I can’t, maybe another time._

Better. Nicer. Ava doesn’t hit send yet. She puts the phone down and disconnects her laptop from her two work monitors. After she’s packed up Ava picks up her phone again, thumb hovering over send. Instead she deletes the polite refusal. She shakes her head and pockets the phone, picking up her laptop bag and slipping on the shoes that she’d dropped under her desk that morning. As she starts walking to the door she takes out her phone again.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
Sure, I just have to stop somewhere first.  
  
jfc took u long enough to get back to me 😤  
  
Hey. It's been a day.  
  
eesh, sorry  
  
Is the invite still open?  
  


Ava stands in the hallway, both hands on her phone. She runs a thumb down the side of her cell and watches the three dots that indicate that Sara’s typing. For a second Ava feels bad, wondering if Sara felt this way while waiting all day, like the moment holds some weight that cannot be attributed to anything outside her own feelings.

No. Ava knows Sara hasn’t felt this way. This is only in Ava’s head.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
of course  
  
but only if u aren’t too tired  
  
i heard u had a rough day  
  


Ava laughs again. When she brings her eyes away from her phone, looking for something witty to reply, she catches sight of herself in the darkened windows of the abandoned office to her right. Staring back at her, phone in hand, is that happy person that Gary told her about. The look in her eyes, the lift to her lips, the slightly proud stance to her shoulders.

Ava shakes her head and sighs, giving up on wit. All she wants right now is to see Sara.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
What's your address?  
  


Send.

Ava turns around as she shoves her phone into her pocket. Back at her desk she opens the bottom drawer. Articles and graphs, projections and doodles, miniature mock ups of posters, printed illustrations and forms. She flicks through until she reaches the TB Gaming employee handbook that she received and signed her first day of work.

_TB Gaming: Worldbuilding Together._

The title got a sarcastic chuckle from Ava when she first read it, but today she ignores it completely. Without sitting she flops the book onto the desk and turns to the index.

_TB Gaming Culture  
Mission Statement: Welcome to the Heywood World  
Employee Expectations: How to Treat Us  
Company Expectations: How We’ll Treat You  
Legal Rights, Yours and Ours  
Obligations, Yours and Ours  
Human Resources: What they Provide  
Human Resources: When to Use Them  
Vacation, Sick Time, and Other Times You’re Not Here_

Ava stares at the page for a second, unsure of where to go. She read this book when she first started but it’s been over two months and her eyes are kind of itching in her head. She rubs a hand across them and flicks to page 7, Employee Expectations. A quick skim shows that she’s in the wrong section. This is about dress in the workplace, time spent working from home or in the office by department, who to report ideas or changes to and when. She checks the index again and goes to page 19, Obligations. Here’s what she’s looking for. Ava reads that employees are obligated to withhold information about new games, updates, resources, code, and all related information that is the rights of TB Gaming from anyone outside the company. Ava bites her lip because she has so thoroughly disregarded that rule, even if Sara already had access to 2213. Her eyes drop down as she reads about intercompany dating. Employees can conduct inter-personal affairs but they must be reported to the supervisor of both persons involved. There is nothing about dating a competitor’s employee. Ava sighs as she closes the book and sits in her chair. She feels her phone buzz with Sara’s address.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
don’t get lost  
  
🙄  
  
Don't be a dick.  
  
😉  
  
wow, just because I'm concerned 4 ur safety...  
  
🙄🙄🙄  
  
nvrmind, don’t come over.  
  
I’ll be there in 20-ish minutes.  
  
ugh. fine.  
  
😋  
  


Phone back in her pocket, Ava runs a hand over her face. She’s being absurd. She’s not dating Sara. She’s not even looking to date her, they’re just gaming together. As friends.

At the grocery store Ava stares at the beer selection. Wine might be better, she thinks. She starts to turn when her eyes catch the perfect beer. It’s sold as individual cans so she grabs one before picking up a red wine as well. She also gets some chips and salsa, a bar of cheddar, some cut fruit, crackers, and a couple chocolate bars. As she stands in line to pay she realizes that Sara will be able to tell that she hasn’t eaten dinner. Maybe it’ll even give away that Ava skipped lunch. Oh well. She drops her reusable bag into the passenger seat and sits down, putting Sara’s address into her phone’s GPS. As she drives she sits up straighter. When she parks Ava drops open the sun visor to look at herself in the mirror. With a sigh she takes down her hair and scratches at her scalp. She shakes her head and checks herself again, trying on a smile. She reaches over, grabs the bag of food, and opens the door.

**Sara:**

Ava probably won’t show up. Sara scrubs at her sink in the kitchen even though it’s already clean. She puts down the cloth and walks to the bathroom where she grabs a bit of toilet paper, runs it under some water, and uses it to remove the flecks of water from the tap. Sara’s changed out of her work clothes, her hair is down, she’s reapplied her makeup. If Ava doesn’t show, Sara tells herself, she’ll go get a drink somewhere. Maybe she can call up Gideon and Zari, make a night of it. She tries to think if either of her friends mentioned having plans tonight but nothing comes to mind.

Rocket League. Something to get her mind off the night and this weird pressure Sara is putting on herself. She turns on the game and begins a match with her customized car, a silver machine with burnt orange lines down the sides. As the game begins she gets an invite to play with Laurel, her sister. Sara pauses the game and takes out her phone.

laur  
  
sorry laurel i’m just playing to kill time until some friends show up. we can play tomorrow if u want though?  
  
Tomorrow’s no good, Sunday afternoon’s better. Text me. X  
  


Sara doesn’t question why she tells her sister that multiple friends are visiting. Probably because she doesn’t want the inquest about the nature of her relationship with Ava Sharpe. Especially since she’s unsure how to answer that herself.

Sara puts down her phone and resumes the game. She decides to give Ava six five-minute matches to show up or text before Sara gives up and goes out.

Sara is soon relieved that she didn’t accept Laurel’s invite because she’s playing like a noob. The ball’s going anywhere except the other team’s net. Sara hits pause on the third match and gets up.

In the kitchen Sara grabs a glass and pours herself some water. After taking her first sip she gets a second glass for Ava, just in case. She is taking another long drink from her own when her phone vibrates. Sara gulps down too much water, coughs for a second, then straightens up. Shit, Ava is cancelling. Before checking the text Sara leans against the counter and breathes. She can call Gideon or Zari. It’s fine. She takes out her phone.

sharperdirectives  
  
Here  
  
Evidently I need a nuclear code to get into the building?  
  
b right there  
  


Sara grabs her keys and leaves the apartment. She forgot to send Ava the damn code. She takes the stairs two at a time, not wanting to wait for the elevator. At the door leading into the foyer Sara pauses. She feels like she needs to catch her breath but she hasn’t really lost it. She puts her hands on her knees, feeling her pulse jump in her neck. She’s excited and nervous and feels like she’s been running, for some reason.

As though Sara doesn’t know the reason.

Walking into the foyer, Sara waves at Ava through the glass door. She opens it and steps aside so Ava can come in. Sara is surprised to see Ava hefting a bag full of stuff.

“My stop,” Ava says, lifting the bag as though showing a prize.

“Oh.” Sara hasn’t thought about food. She should have. “This way.” She leads Ava to the elevator and presses the up button. While they wait Sara catches Ava sneaking a glance her way. Sara looks straight ahead as soon as it happens, fighting the desire to take a step closer to Ava. As the elevator doors open Sara gestures to the bag. “I can take that.”

“No, I’m good.” Sara catches Ava’s smile and gives her one back. They ride the elevator in silence and are soon in the apartment. Sara shows Ava to the kitchen.

“Wow, are you hungry?”

Ava blushes as she pulls the chocolate bars out. “I didn’t have dinner yet.”

“Figures.” Sara chuckles. “You did eat lunch, right?”

Ava flips the chocolate bar over but doesn’t say anything. Sara glares at her. “Aves, you should eat.” Sara turns to the fridge and opens the door. She pulls out leftovers from a lunch she had the other day. An untouched half a sandwich. “Turkey club?”

“You don’t have to feed me,” says Ava. She looks startled.

“I know.” Sara puts the container down and grabs a plate. There’a a pause as they both look at one another and Sara can’t help the smirk that she feels slowly taking over her face.

“Do you like red wine?” Ava holds up the bottle as she looks away.

Sara grins. “Yes. Especially that one.”

Ava grins back. “Me too.”

Sara opens the half sandwich, removes the turkey, and puts it on the plate. After she microwaves the meat she puts the sandwich back together and holds the plate out to Ava. “I didn’t bite it or anything,” she says. She holds it out for a second before Ava accepts it. Ava takes a big bit, chewing faster than necessary while staring directly into Sara’s eyes.

“Happy?” Ava’s question comes out around the mouthful of food a moment before Ava swallows and puts down the plate, grinning like she won some sort of contest.

“You think you’re hilarious.” Sara turns away to get wine glasses and hide her smirk. Ava is hilarious, although that’s not her finest joke. This moment, that grin, is more adorable than funny. Sara feels her neck grow warm at the thought and is thankful her hair is down to hide the start of the blush.

“Have you had this?”

Sara turns to see Ava holding up a can of beer with a black and white spotted label. The writing is green, drawn like blades of grass, and Sara lets out a laugh. “Legend-dairy? Seriously?”

“I couldn’t resist,” says Ava. She hands the can over to Sara. “Figured we could split it before drinking the wine. Got one in case it's terrible.”

“The milkiest stout,” Sara reads from the can. She holds up one of the wine glasses thoughtfully. “Shall we save glasses?”

“Sure.”

Sara knows Ava’s watching her open and pour the can evenly between the two glasses. They both linger in the kitchen, Sara opening bags, cutting the cheese, and getting a shallow bowl for the salsa while Ava finishes the half sandwich.

“Rocket League?” Ava shakes her head at the TV with a smile that looks a bit forlorn. She puts the snacks she’s carrying on the coffee table. “Can we play something else?”

Of course, Sara thinks. But Ava can’t see how easy it is for Sara to say yes to her. Instead Sara stills her hands on the controller before glancing over at Ava. “Why?”

Ava shrugs. “It’s not a bad game, I just had an ex who was obsessed with it.”

Sara laughs. “It’s not the type of game I’d obsess over,” she says.

“Right?” Ava leans down to look into the glass-fronted cabinet where Sara stores the hard copies of her games. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m a gamer like whoa, but this was another level. She never played anything else and wouldn’t watch TV or movies. She only put on Let’s Plays of that damn game. We were together for less than a month, like two years ago, and I still can’t play it.”

Sara wants to laugh again. The story’s funny, the idea of Ava being pushed away by someone who wanted to play one game forever. But something in Ava’s words nags at Sara’s mind. Is this some sort of code about Ava? She could be saying that she wouldn’t settle for one person, like she wouldn’t settle for one game.

Sara shakes her head. We’re friends, she thinks. People have lots of friends. She backs out to the Rocket League menu and exits the game entirely. “We can play something else,” says Sara. She gestures to the couch. “Let’s sit.” As she takes her own advice Sara glances at Ava again. She’s looking at Sara’s desktop in the corner as she takes a seat too. Sara scoots over a bit, shifting away from Ava, as she runs Ava’s sentence through her mind again. Ava broke up with her. Ava has an ex-girlfriend.

Controller in one hand, Sara raises her glass with the other. She watches Ava grin and raise her own. "A toast?"

“To the only game worth obsessing over,” says Ava. “To 2213.”

Sara clinks her glass against Ava’s. “To League of Assassins,” she says back with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gaming together again! Woohoo!
> 
> Thanks for the comments and such. And a joyful shout-out to jacquelee and magdati for pointing out two errors, one in my writing and one in my chapter marking. The one in my writing relates to chapter 13 - it has been fixed, but the takeaway is that in this story, at this point, Ava does not know Gideon.
> 
> If anyone else sees stuff like that please let me know and I'll fix it. 😃
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Please feel free to let me know what you think, and thanks for sticking with it!


	16. VR vs. Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava usually takes the lead on games that require firm direction, but she can’t imagine Sara being an underling.
> 
> “How about we switch back and forth?”
> 
> Sara pulls the headset on. “Sounds perfect,” she says.
> 
> \-------
> 
> “Sara, thank god. There’s a problem with the online gameplay, just went down seven minutes ago.” There’s a pause and Sara can visualize Ray checking his watch to verify the timeline he’d just given Sara.
> 
> “Ok,” says Sara. She leans against the wall, getting serious. “What do we know so far?”
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava tries to figure Sara out, which is complicated because for most of their interactions she can't see Sara's face. Afterwards, Sara deals with a work emergency.

**Ava:**

Why doesn’t Sara seem nervous?

Ava dumps the last of the milk stout, which she found surprisingly good considering the label, down her throat. She isn’t drinking it fast because she’s thirsty. The thick, somewhat sweet beer isn’t good for sating thirst anyway. She puts down the glass and picks up the water that Sara poured before Ava’s arrival.

“I’ll get the wine,” says Sara. She stands up and reaches a hand towards Ava, who for a second doesn’t know how to respond. When Sara nods to Ava’s glass she chuckles before handing it over. Ava watches Sara leave the living room and looks at the controllers on the table, then at Sara’s half-drained glass. They’ve been talking in the time it’s taken Ava to finish the drink. Ava hears the soft pop of the cork and sits back on the couch with her water. Maybe Ava’s been reading this wrong and Sara isn’t interested in anything more than friendship. Good, Ava thinks, because she isn’t either.

“Why don’t you pick a game?”

Sara’s request surprises Ava. She hears the tap turn on in the kitchen. Sara’s no doubt rinsing Ava’s glass. Ava puts down her water and moves to the cabinet of games, skimming the titles in the first row. There doesn’t seem to be an order to them, and a few of the games are in backwards so Ava can’t read the titles. She ducks down to look at the second shelf as she hears footsteps behind her and some things being set down. She shifts as Sara comes to stand next to her.

“You can open it,” Sara says. She leans forward and does just that, brushing Ava’s shoulder with her own as she pulls the latch.

“Thanks,” says Ava. She reminds herself to read the titles, not to simply stare at them. “I’ve played most of these,” she says.

“I bet you have,” says Sara.

“I don’t own them all though.” Ava reaches in to grab one and Sara laughs at her choice.

“I haven’t played that in years.”

“Me neither.” Ava pushes it back into place. “I’m kinda surprised you have it.”

“Same.” Sara goes back to the couch and picks up a controller. “I think I got it at a convention. Look here too.” She toggles over until a list of downloaded games covers the screen.

“Oh my god,” says Ava. “That one.” She points to a floating bomb on the screen covered in knobs, buttons, and an assortment of other doodads, the words _Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes_ bringing a smile to her lips.

“Yes! I haven’t played that in such a long time.” Sara hands the controller over to Ava and steps out of the room. “I’ll be right back.”

Ava clicks on the game and waits as it cycles through to the start screen. Sara’s holding a black and white VR headset when she comes back. She puts it on the table and goes to the TV, kneeling in front of the PS4 to set it up for VR.

“Do you want to defuse or read the manual?” Sara stands, grabs the headset, and holds it out with a grin. Ava usually takes the lead on games that require firm direction, but she can’t imagine Sara being an underling.

“How about we switch back and forth?”

Sara pulls the headset on. “Sounds perfect,” she says.

Ava sets up the game on the PS4 and hands Sara the first controller. On the TV the Bomb Defusal Manual appears.

“Where do we want to start?” asks Sara. She moves her head down, like she’s looking at something in front and below her. “Wait, you’ve played before, yeah?”

“Yup.” Ava smirks at the slight way Sara ducks her head.

“Okay, I remember thinking the Basics and Introductions bombs were way too easy.”

“Agreed,” says Ava, trying not to chuckle as Sara stretches the controller forward. She’s clearly trying to inspect something that only she can see.

“How about the last one in Introductions as a warm-up?”

Ava raises her eyes. “Don’t think you can go one harder?” Ava can hear the cockiness in her own voice as Sara laughs. Ava doesn’t remember how difficult the Introductions bombs are, she just can’t pass up the chance to needle Sara.

“Don’t want to overwhelm you,” Sara says. She toggles over to something only she can see. “Ok. Don’t get me killed, Sharpe.”

Ava looks over and laughs at the serious lock to Sara’s jaw. They’re both standing feet from the TV. “Why don’t we sit down?” Ava expects Sara to take the headset off, not take a step back and hit her calf against the coffee table. “Whoa,” says Ava. She puts down her controller, takes Sara’s to put down too, and grabs Sara’s forearms. Sara is wearing a kind of smirking grin that makes it clear she’s not going to take off the headset.

“Walk towards me,” Ava says. Sara does as she’s told for half a step, then pauses.

“I’ve gotta close my eyes.” Sara tilts her head to one side, slightly. “I’ve never tried to walk with this on before.”

“Good to go?” Ava says it as a challenge. Sara responds by taking a step forward, almost bumping into Ava. “Hey, warn me before you start.” Ava chuckles. “You almost walked into me.”

“You wish.” Sara exhales through her mouth and Ava’s eyes dart to her lips. Ava could kiss her right now. She’d have to turn her head sideways and it’d be awkward as hell, but still. If they were dating Ava knows she’d go for it.

“Are we going?”

Ava looks back up at the headset and blushes. “Yes.” She starts moving slowly, tugging Sara’s forearms with her own. Ava backs around the table before having Sara turn so she’s in front of the couch. “Now sit.”

“You’re gonna make me fall on the floor, aren’t you?” The lower half of Sara’s face doesn’t look scared. In fact her lips are pursed in good humor.

“No,” says Ava. “Trust someone for once.”

“Fine.” Sara drops herself backwards so quickly that her arms are pulled from Ava’s grip. Ava lets out a surprised gasp as Sara lands on the couch, hard.

“I bet that didn’t hurt at all,” says Ava. She smirks and picks up the controllers, sitting down next to Sara.

“No,” says Sara. Ava notices that she shifts a bit though, rubbing her lower back for a moment. Ava hands Sara the controller with the light bar indicating it belongs to player one. “Ready?”

Before Ava can respond Sara hits the X button. “This screen is for your eyes only,” she says in a perfectly flat tone. “You are not allowed to look at the Bomb Defusal Manual.”

“Keep your damn headset on, Lance.” Ava uses her own controller to skip down several pages, past the intro, the rules and definitions, and straight to the first module, which Ava thinks of as mini challenges. The manual tells them how to address each of these modules. “What do you got?”

“Um,” Sara says. She twirls one of her joysticks and Ava wants to chuckle because her mouth is open and her head is still slightly tilted down.

“Did you pick the bomb up yet?”

Sara suddenly sits up straighter. “Yes. I have a button.”

“Okay.” Sara scrolls to the next page, looking for the directions to turn off the button on the bomb. “Is the button blue?”

“No.”

“Does it say detonate?” The bombs have words scrawled on them in white letters, each indicating a different required action.

“No.”

“White?”

“What?”

“Is the button white?”

“Oh,” says Sara. “Yeah.”

“Is there a lit indicator with CAR written on it? Or next to it?”

“Um.” Sara shifts her shoulders to the side as though physically trying to look around the bomb. “Yes.”

“Great, press and hold that sucker.” Ava is silent for a moment as her eyes drop to the bottom of the page. “What color stripe are you getting?”

“Yellow.”

“Ok, release whenever there’s a five on the timer.”

“Damn, we just missed one.” Ava watches Sara for a moment, sensing the tension of waiting. “Ok, done. The button’s good.”

“What else?”

The game continues in this way, Sara calling out modules before Ava quickly scrolls to find the relevant pages. Once all of the modules are turned off the timer stops, signifying that they’ve defused it. They finish the first bomb with one minute and twenty seconds to spare, the second-fastest time according to the game.

“Oh we can do better,” says Sara. She’s grinning though, and Ava can’t help grinning back even though she knows Sara can’t see.

“We can try to beat the times after we get through all the bombs,” says Ava.

“You’re on.” Sara reaches up to pull off the headset. She shakes out her hair before handing it over and Ava doesn’t move for a second. Sara’s hair ends below her shoulders, and Ava watches it instead of taking the headset.

“Aves?”

“Right.” Ava picks up the VR headset and lifts it up. Before she pulls it on she pushes her hair back with one hand. The headset ends up resting on her hair rather than dropping onto her head. She can see out the bottom of the headset, into the space between herself and Sara. The part of the screen she can see shows a darkened room and an open binder.

“Wait.” Sara shifts over and Ava can feel her hands moving around Ava’s head to the back. Her arms brush Ava’s hands on the headset and for a moment Ava wants to turn and touch Sara. The moment’s broken when Sara pulls at the back of the headset, yanking Ava’s head back a smidge. Ava closes her eyes. When she opens them again she sees mostly Sara in the small window of irl vision she still has, leaning into Ava’s space.

“Hey!”

“Sorry.” Sara’s breath touches Ava’s lips, and Ava thinks that she’s feeling the apology. “I’m adjusting it.”

After a moment the headset shifts and falls down onto Ava’s head. She can’t see Sara anymore. With a deep breath Ava tries to gather herself, but her nose is filled with something she’s never smelled before. A delicate citrus scent and something more, musky and weirdly personal. Sara’s hair.

“Is that too tight?”

Ava gives a gentle tug on the headset, trying to pull it to the side while pulling her thoughts off Sara Lance. “I don’t think so.”

“Great.” Ava can still feel Sara’s breath. She turns her head and feels the movement of air on her cheek until she hears Sara shift. “It seems you really do have a big head.”

Ava laughs, surprised by Sara’s comment. She reaches out to where she thinks Sara might be and hits what she guesses is her shoulder. “Rude.”

The headset feels like she is wearing a baseball cap with something a bit weighted on the bill. She blinks at the floating blue binder in front of her. When Ava feels what must be Sara’s hand on her arm she looks down. No arm. No hand resting there, only the darkened room. She laughs.

“Have you used VR before?”

Ava nods and closes her eyes for a second as the binder swings in front of her. “A couple times, but I don’t own one.”

“Get used to it,” says Sara. Ava is surprised that the hand is still on her arm. She opens her eyes again and looks around as Sara speaks. “X is select, O is release. Use the D-pad to navigate to different choices and the right joystick to rotate the bomb.”

“Okay.” Ava selects the next level and the bomb appears on a table. She presses the buttons Sara said but the bomb doesn’t move. “How do I pick it up?”

“Oh, we’re starting?”

“Yeah. Never mind, I figured it out. Wires.” The module to the left of the timer has a series of wires connecting straight across to jacks on either side. The wires are a mix of red, yellow, and white in no discernable pattern.

“Horizontal?”

“Yup.”

“Ok, let me see. How many?”

“Four. No, five.”

“Can’t count tonight?” Ava is suddenly pushed to the side by what she assumes is Sara’s body. Swinging her head, Ava watches the room and the bomb swim around her. She yelps but is grabbed by Sara. “Sorry, I guess not seeing would make that a bad idea.”

Ava glances down to where Sara’s hands are on her arms and sees only the edge of the desk and the floor of the game. She wonders if the contact would feel this personal, this close and warm, if she could see. This is Sara’s second apology. “It’s fine,” Ava says.

“Right.” Sara lets go and Ava hears some shuffling. “Five wires. Uh, is the last one black?”

Ava turns the bomb around so she can see the wires again. “No.”

“Any red?”

“Yup.”

“Yellow? If so more than one?”

“Uh, yup. There are three.”

“Cut the first wire.”

Ava tilts her head to see the countdown on the bomb. “First meaning the one on top?”

“Yes.”

Ava’s already on that wire so she hits the X button. There’s a snip sound, a moment, and the light in the upper right corner of the wire module goes green.

“Done!”

“Awesome!” Sara sounds very close to Ava. Like, almost in her ear close. Ava leans a little to the side, wondering if her hearing is betraying her, when she finds herself leaning against Sara. She quickly pulls back and rotates the bomb.

“Lights flashing in a diamond.” Ava knows this module has a name but she can’t remember seeing it in the manual.

“Simon Says,” provides Sara.

They progress through the modules, although by the second to last the speed of the countdown has increased and Ava’s leaning forward in an effort to rush their work along.

“Come on!” Sara puts something down on the table. “I said you, like you!” As though to emphasize her meaning Ava feels a sharp jab at her side.

“Hey!” Ava squirms away, making the bomb jolt along with her stomach. “I thought you meant the letter u.” Ava swallows and wonders, for the fourth time, if Sara is always this affectionate when drinking. Or maybe it’s because Ava can’t see. Sara might like her reactions. “That’s our second strike.”

“Shit.”

“We have fifteen seconds. Button.”

“Pointless to try.”

“Come on. It’s yellow and it says abort.”

“It doesn’t say anything,” says Sara.

“Yes it does! Abort, a-b-o-” The bomb explodes before Ava can finish. “And we died.”

“It didn’t say anything,” says Sara again.

Ava reaches up to remove the headset with a sigh. “It did, right on it in white lettering.”

“It’s a button.” Sara holds out her hand for the headset. “Buttons can’t talk.”

Ava scoffs. “That might be the worst joke I’ve heard from you.”

“All my jokes are amazing.”

“Of course they are.” Ava runs a hand through her hair after she’s free of the headset, which she puts on the table instead of handing to Sara. “Let’s take a break,” she says. She leans for her glass of wine but Sara gets there first and passes it over. Sara picks up her own glass too, now filled with wine.

“Sure,” says Sara. She takes a sip. “It’s hard to enjoy a drink or snack during this game.”

“True.” Ava reaches for a slice of the cheese. “Plus I think this will only get funnier if we drink a bit.”

“Funnier or harder? ‘Cause you’re already struggling.”

“Shove off, Lance.” Ava grins as she takes a sip and smiles at Sara.

“Hey, it’s only the truth. But don’t worry, I can carry your dead weight.”

“Wow.” Ava puts down her glass. “It’s on.” She picks up the second player controller and looks to the TV.

“No,” says Sara. She shuffles over to grab the VR headset and hands it over to Ava. “If you’re really gonna prove yourself you’d better use the headset ‘cause that’s the part you suck at.”

“You suck,” grumbles Ava. She moves to pull the headset on but pauses, catching a glance at Sara first. Ava realizes, a second too late, that the heat creeping up her cheeks isn’t a response to Sara’s sass but is something else. Sara seems to notice too as Ava watches her glance down at her own controller, her cheeks becoming flushed too.

“Just put that on, Sharpe. Let’s kick this bomb’s ass.”

So much for their break. The last thing Ava sees before pulling the headset on is Sara reaching for the controller in Ava’s lap. As her fingers wrap around it Ava pokes Sara’s wrist. Sara pulls back, then snatches the controller.

Maybe Sara is nervous after all.

**Sara:**

Ray.

Of course it’s Ray. Jax, Mick, Zari, and hell, even Gideon could be ignored after 11pm. But Ray gives Sara insight that she could never replace. She owes him a level of availability that outweighs her desire to continue gaming with Ava. Barely. Sara looks over at the woman, face turned towards Sara under that stupid VR headset.

“I have to take it,” says Sara. She stands up, pausing to reach down and tug at the headset. “Take this off. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Ava puts down the controller and reaches her own hands up for the headset.

Sara only watches Ava for a moment before she steps away, looking at her phone and swiping to accept the call. As she enters the hallway she speaks. “Ray, what’s up?”

“Sara, thank god. There’s a problem with the online gameplay, just went down seven minutes ago.” There’s a pause and Sara can visualize Ray checking his watch to verify the timeline he’d just given Sara.

“Ok,” says Sara. She leans against the wall, getting serious. “What do we know so far?”

“Seems isolated to the online gameplay, not a problem in single player. It’s gotta be something in the coding. A group of players went down a well and didn’t respawn. Then other players began to disappear. We’re looking into it now, but in the meantime-”

“We need a response on our socials.”

“Yes.”

Sara can hear typing in the background and has no doubt that Ray’s already looking into the code. “What can you give me?”

“I’ve already spoken with Nora about that. I’ll be sending over some designs and upgrades for character clothing that can drop once we’re back online.”

“The updates that were meant to come out when-” Sara cuts herself off. When 2213 drops.

“Some, yes.”

“Fine. I’ll modify them for posting. Anything else?”

“Not that I can think of.” Ray sounds like he’s smirking. He’s the kind of guy who is intrigued by a challenge, not brought to a halt. Sara knows he’d easily give up a Saturday night for this kind of all-hands teamwork.

“Keep me posted. And Ray?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.” Sara hangs up and pockets her phone. She lifts her head up and back to bump the wall behind her. For a moment she waits, thinking about this problem. It’s the sort of thing that’s happened before and Sara knows it’ll happen again. But this is the first time she’ll have to kick a competitor out of her apartment to fix it.

Ava shouldn’t be here. She should never be here.

Sara moves from the wall and steps back into the living room. She smiles at Ava, who’s browsing the games on Sara's shelf again. Sara’s smile feels forced, heavy with the lie that Sara’s about to let slip. “Sorry about that. My sister, Laurel. She doesn’t usually call this late.”

Ava tilts her head towards Sara, a confused wrinkle between her eyes. “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah.” Sara reaches up and tucks some hair behind her ear. “I have to meet her for breakfast though, early. I should get some sleep.”

Ava’s face slips into something Sara can’t identify. Conflict, maybe? Uncertainty? The look is there for a breath before her expression relaxes into something like acceptance. “Ok, I can see myself out.” She shifts from the couch, heading towards the door. Sara watches her pause, stop, and turn. “Want help cleaning up?”

“No,” says Sara. She looks at the glasses and food remnants still on the table. “Thanks though. I’ll get your bag.”

They both walk to the door. Sara shoves her hands in her pockets and watches Ava do the same, the empty reusable grocery bag sticking out around her hand. “Drive safe,” says Sara.

“Thanks.” Ava ducks her head, maybe with embarrassment. “Thanks for, you know, hanging out.”

Sara doesn’t say anything. She can’t think of how to explain that this will be the last time. That Sara must end whatever type of friendship they’ve been forging.

“Goodnight,” saya Ava. She turns and leaves. As the door closes Sara takes a half step closer and mumbles her own goodbye, unheard by anyone but herself. Standing for a moment, Sara breathes in and presses a hand to her door. She lets it drop to turn the deadbolt, then heads into the living room. Ignoring the evidence of her visitor, she sits down at her desk and pulls up her laptop. Time to get to work. She starts by changing the Legends Twitter name to include a promise of updates.

Sara’s focus on her work lasts a few minutes before she realizes that Ava will know the cause of her dismissal as soon as she arrives at her apartment. Sooner, if she checks her phone in the car.

That doesn’t matter. The discovery of Sara’s lie, the probable realization that Ava would have, that they cannot be friends, or even friendly, don’t matter. Sara opens a folder of pre-created memes and pictures illustrating the downed status of various games and programs. She shifts to ones she’s created for League of Assassins and chooses one to post. She pulls a second for Instagram and a third for Snapchat. Then Sara begins engaging with some gamers, retweeting some stuff and making it clear that the main game is still functional and that there are some updates that will drop as soon as the problem is fixed.

The clothing upgrades from Ray are awesome.

Clarke Griffin is always dressed practically in a quilted leather bomber jacket, tight black jeans, a double-layer of long-sleeved shirts, and leather boots that start out stiff but become worn as the game progresses. This upgrade has her in a black dress that looks to be the the kind of thing an assassin can still move in. The fit is loose but not flowing and it looks rough, badass. There is also a new bag for her, a backpack that players can equip instead of her usual satchel. The backpack, though bulkier, does allow for more ammo and weapons storage. And Ray’s sent a few new outfits for Raven, Finn, and Octavia, the fourth pre-created character choice for the online multiplayer. There are new weapons options too.

Perfect. Sara opens her photo editor and imports the outfits and weapons. Carefully she edits each article of clothing off the character they’re designed for and darkens the new items so they’re silhouettes. Once each is completed she posts them, leaving around fifteen minutes between each post. She staggers the posting of the weapons between the clothing, and even though some are obvious she knows that the speculation about what each silhouette could be will be fierce.

At a quarter past two Zari calls. She’s in the thick of coding, Sara can hear the rapid typing in the background.

“We’re getting there,” says Zari. “We know where the error originated and we’ve fixed the source. Right now we’re going through the affected areas to iron out any potential problems before bringing the game back online.”

“Great.” Sara looks at her notifications and skims what’s there, looking out for anything that needs to be addressed and ignoring the rest. She’s also ignoring the DMs that have rolled in. “The clothing and stuff are great distractions. Some people are pissed about the interruption, but there are a ton speculating about the upgrades and new options.”

“Yeah, I’m sure Twitter is wild,” says Zari. The noise in the background shifts and Sara guesses that Zari’s resting the phone against her shoulder to muffle a conversation Sara can hardly hear. “Ray says five minutes. Solid enough for you to put it out there.”

“Yes!” Sara opens Twitter and pulls up a picture of the New Year’s Ball from this past year. She types up something about five minutes and hits post. “Done.”

“Want me to stay on?” Zari sounds distracted.

“No.” Sara switches over to her Instagram. “I’m gonna record a video of LoA launching so people can see the moment it happens. Gotta prep for that.”

Sara knows Zari is smiling. “Good call, cap.” The reference to Sara’s handle isn’t new, but it still makes Sara grin.

“Get on with your job, will you?” Before Zari can say anything else Sara ends the call. She opens the LoA online game on her desktop and glances at her phone. There’s a text from _SharperDirectives._ Sara flips over her phone and turns on her recorder, unsure how close to a true five minute mark Ray’s estimation will prove to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers, happy Wednesday!
> 
> Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a **great** game. If you want a laugh and to understand the dynamics a bit better check out this video of two actual bomb defusal experts playing the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYunaBkn9Ng
> 
> Sorry about the ending, but it had to happen. LoA is so dang unreliable. ^_^
> 
> Once again thanks for the kind comments and kudos Please let me know what you think of this chapter too!
> 
> Ok, I'm off to do some dishes (and apologize to my wife for leaving them in the sink so I could work on this 😬). Then I'll watch the most recent episode of Legends!
> 
> Have a great day! <3
> 
> Oh, P.S. I've written a chapter that warrants a change to this story's rating. I will put a head's up in the summary of the chapter in question so that if you want to skip reading that you can. Thanks!


	17. Sara's Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although cold, Ava also feels warmed by the excitement of what she’s doing. The back and forth between herself and the gamers has been more than enough to distract her from the cramp in her left calf and the goosebumps on her arms... She feels herself getting tired but presses on, clicking back to her first Tweet about tonight’s events to check the replies again.
> 
> \-------
> 
> When [Sara] reaches the Ford she peers through the windshield, a hand shading her eyes. A laptop is on the center console, behind it is - there’s someone sleeping in the backseat. Someone wearing the same coat that Ava had on last night.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava and Sara both have short, uncomfortable nights and awkward, sun-filled mornings.

**Ava:**

Ava’s trunk latch feels heavy. Ava knows it’s not, that the weight comes from her mind and that one sentence. _Ray, what’s up?_ The call wasn’t Laurel, and Ava knows Ray Palmer would be on top of any coding problems within a Legends project. His skill and dedication within the world of game design are unmatched. Ava has no doubt that Sara would always take his calls.

Sara should have waited to answer the call until she was properly out of the living room. Ava probably should have eavesdropped after hearing that it was Ray, but instead she went to the furthest side of the room and forced her mind to focus on the games on Sara's shelf.

And the lie. Ava knows it comes down to their jobs, a need to get Ava to leave without giving her a chance to forestall Sara’s professional response to whatever’s happening. Ava also knows that she would spew something similar if the roles were reversed. But that cagey smile accompanied by Sara’s words feels personal, somehow. Ava can’t work it out, and right now she doesn’t have time. She lifts her bag and closes the trunk, walking around to open the driver’s side door. Once inside she slides the seat back to the fully extended position and pulls out her laptop. She opens it quickly, pulling out her phone to make a hotspot while her laptop wakes up. She cringes at the brightness of her phone screen in the dark car. As soon as she can jump on Twitter she heads to the Legends page. Nothing new yet. Ava pulls down the screen so it refreshes and gasps at the new Tweet. LoA is down. Like many MMOs, League does have scheduled maintenance times that shut down the game, but they’re done when gameplay is at its lowest. Never over the weekend.

Ava tries to remember the last time LoA had an unscheduled shut down but she comes up short.

Ava should respond. She reads the comments on Sara’s post.

_@TimTTT  
noooooooooooooo i was gonna game with my bro tonight!?!?!1??/?_

_@HardTooths  
fuuuucking useless._

_@NightSchwimming  
OMG I can’t remember the last time Legends was down this is freakin’ hilarious!_

_@2213WHO?  
All of these responses are RIDICULOUS. Games crash. Get over it._

A bunch of users also reply with memes and gifs. The most prominent gifs are those inferring that the users are waiting to watch a shit show. A man with sunglasses opening a foldable chair while looking to the camera, Michael Jackson shoving a handful of popcorn in his face, those kinds of things. 

The last time TB Gaming had an unexpected problem that resulted in one of their games being shut down was over five years ago. Ava should respond. Retweet Sara’s statement and bite into the reliability, or lack thereof, of Legends and LoA. Instead Ava puts her phone down again and opens Chrome on her laptop. She adjusts the brightness and pulls up every social media platform connected with Legends to begin systematically looking at what Sara’s posting. She’s refreshing and moving between the pages regularly when she sees the first of the silhouetted images from Legends. It’s clearly an outfit of some sort designed for a character. Ava smiles and watches the comments pour in. Many are frustrated, but some get distracted enough by the teaser to seem excited. Ava shifts the laptop in an attempt to get a bit more comfortable when the screen hits the steering wheel, pushing it onto Ava’s hands.

Fine. Ava should pack up and drive home. She clicks on Instagram one more time, thinking a final run through before leaving would be fine, when she notices an addition to the Legends story. And, Ava realizes, she had half a beer and almost three glasses of wine within the last two or so hours. She should really give it some time before she starts driving. She turns and drops her laptop into the back seat of the car before opening the door and getting out. The back gives her so much more space. She sits sideways and leans against the closed door, pulling up her knees to balance the laptop. Ava also puts her hair up using a tie from her laptop bag. Much better.

Ava opens a file on her laptop that houses premade memes and photos that mock Legends. There are a bunch that she could post. One implies that Legends is an incompetent company that doesn’t deserve even the sarcastic respect it gives itself while another states that Legends is riding on little more than longevity and brand recognition. She closes that file with a sigh and opens another full of gifs she’s created while playing 2213. She chooses one that’s a good four scrolls down the list. Lexa stands during a cutscene, facing away from the camera before it wraps around to show that she is silently crying. Ava hasn’t added any text yet. She pulls the gif into an editor and types, _At least the next time this happens we’ll have Lexa to comfort us._

The latest Tweet from _@Legends_ makes Ava laugh.

_Legends: New Updates Coming Tonight  
@Legends  
You know when you’re at the dr and they say this won’t hurt a bit?  
That’s what our coders keep telling us.  
We’ll let you know when the pain is truly over._

The attached picture is a lollipop with the words, _We’ll get better soon_ written on it.

Ava hits _Retweet with Comment_ and doesn’t type anything. All she does is include her newly modified gif. The likes start rolling in right away, and the first comment is the rofl emoji four times, followed by one skull emoji. Ava hits reply and writes, _RIP friend. Too bad you never got to play 2213._

As the night wears on Ava keeps interacting with the comments on her Tweet. She also retweets a few choice posts from other accounts, mainly stuff that ignores Legends and compliments TB Gaming. A few are digs at LoA though. She also checks and rechecks the various Legends accounts like it’s part of some new repetitious religion. It’s been a couple hours when she sees the retweet from Sara. _Such compassion! Save your tears for the next time we pwn your ass, k @TBGaming?_

Ava’s laptop rocks on her knees as she types a response.

_Replying to @Legends  
How can you “pwn my ass” when we’ve never played together, dude? 🤨🤨🤨_

That’s possibly too much. Oh well. She wishes that she could see Sara’s face as she reads it. Five minutes later she finds that reading Sara’s response is enough anyway.

_If that's an invite to play 2213 you can suck it, TBG._

Ava starts to look at the accounts of other big gaming brands, seeing if they’re interacting with Legends at all. Ava is a bit surprised that none have retweeted or mentioned anything about or from Sara’s account. Instead they’ve all put out statements, in the form of words, memes, gifs, or, in one case, a video, about the reliability of their servers and games.

Ava opens her file of random but occasionally useful images for a bit, looking for one in particular. When she finds it she can’t help grinning. Pulling it into the editor, she writes _We’re still waiting for those updates, @Legends. TONIGHT, right?_

She waits five minutes before posting the photo of the melting clock. The time stamp on the Tweet reads 11:59pm. Perfect.

_@Havvvvvvvvvenough  
I AM DECEASED. Thought I died when TBG called them out for not being able to kick their ass but now it’s real. Call the coroner._

_@LexaWoodsSTAN  
😂😂😂 and that’s the t.e.a._

_@ClarkeGismy!  
that TIME STAMP THOUGH. screenshot saved 4ever_

Ava spends some time working with that new tweet, liking, retweeting, and commenting on anything that plays into her hand. She still periodically checks the various Legends accounts, watching silhouettes of other upgrades drop. Ava wants to like some of the tweets because, honestly, they’re intriguing. That interest is shared by the majority of the comments now, where gamers are freaking out about what are obviously new weapons and styles.

Ava’s phone is in the cupholder up front. She leans between the front seats to grab it.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
Good luck with the trolls. Remember, don’t feed them after midnight or something.  
  


When Ava checks her phone an hour later she doesn’t have a reply from Sara. She knew she wouldn’t, know sthat Sara’s dealing with a decent amount of work right now and doesn’t have time to respond, but it still feels like an insult. She drops her phone onto the seat between her legs and tilts her laptop screen for a slightly better angle. Somehow the time has slipped into the early hours of the morning, dark enough outside the car to make the streetlights seem distant and unhelpful. She wiggles down into the seat and lowers her legs, still with a little bend in her knees so she’ll fit. Although cold, Ava feels warmed by the excitement of what she’s doing. The back and forth between herself and gamers has been more than enough to distract her from the cramp in her left calf and the goosebumps on her arms, under her coat. She feels herself getting tired but presses on, clicking back to her first Tweet about tonight’s events to check the replies again. Staying up all night should be easy enough. She can drive home in the morning, maybe pick up a coffee on the way.

**Sara:**

Sara’s arm wakes her up. Well, the pinching feeling in her arm. She shifts it a bit, tries to pull it out from under her chest, and feels her shoulder protest. Ugh. A night on the couch, laptop still a bit open on the floor, snacks from last night scattered around. Luckily Sara continued picking at the food until she fell asleep at some point after four so there’s little that’s actual waste.

Rolling over, Sara sits up. She uses her toes to nudge her laptop closed and goes to the bathroom. She starts by running cool water over her hands, cupping them to gather some for her face. Her left arm is starting to cooperate, and she shivers as the water runs down her arms. After peeing, washing her hands, and brushing her teeth, she tells herself that she can and will stay awake. Sara moves back into the living room and brings her laptop over to her desk.

It’s 6:17AM and her notifications are too much.

Tweets and Retweets, Snaps and Instagram comments, Discord discussions and Reddit threads. Sara goes through them dully, letting her eyes slip over the words without engaging. She stops when she sees a Tweet from @TBGaming posted at 11:59pm.

Damn, Sara thinks. She pulls up the Legends account and sees that she never bothered to change their Twitter name, that it still states they’d be dropping updates the night before. She adjusts it back to the old message before going back to Ava’s Tweet. It’s good, as usual. Sara wonders how late Ava stayed up to watch the car wreck. She opens the comments under that Tweet and scrolls until she finds the reply from Ava with the latest time stamp.

3:47am.

Sara runs a hand over her face and smiles. With a look to the window she takes in the sun, shining bright between the semi-open blinds. Sara walks over and pulls the cord to raise them, looking out at the trees peppered throughout the parking lot, embracing her desire to squint. She glances over to guest parking, wondering which spot Ava parked in last night. She grunts when she sees that the only car in that section is a deep blue Ford of some kind. Leaning against the window, Sara blinks with the realization that it looks like the car that Sara saw at Ava’s apartment when she visited. It could be Ava’s car.

Ava wouldn’t have spent the night outside, she's too practical for that. Regardless of what her gut is saying, Sara can picture it for a second. Ava sits perfectly straight in her front seat, doggedly scrolling through the socials, staying because Sara’s posts need a response and that’s why Ava gets paid.

Sara goes to her bedroom and pulls on a sweatshirt. She hadn’t bothered to put on her pajamas last night. She pockets her cell, grabs her keys off the small table near the door, and heads to the stairs. Without wondering what she’ll say if it is Ava, Sara pulls open the building’s door and turns towards guest parking. She gets halfway there when she realizes that the car is indeed a Fusion hybrid, the same model she’s seen in Ava’s parking space at her apartment. Two more steps and she realizes that no one is in the car. Sara keeps walking anyway. When she reaches the Ford she peers through the windshield, a hand shading her eyes. A laptop is on the center console, behind it is - there’s someone sleeping in the backseat. Someone wearing the same coat that Ava had on last night. Sara moves to the back driver’s side window and sees Ava, on her side with her hair almost as scrunched up as her legs, fast asleep. Without thinking Sara taps the window with a knuckle.

“Ah!”

Sara hears Ava exclaim through the glass, smirking as the woman sits up and runs a hand through her hair. Ava looks startled and so adorable, scanning the windshield, not noticing Sara as she sits up. Sara taps the glass again and tries not to smile as Ava whips her head around, blinking against the morning and at Sara like she’s seeing a ghost. Or maybe a dream.

Sara. The name is quiet, too quiet for Sara to hear Ava say it. Ava fusses with her hair for a moment, clearly trying to wake herself up as she shifts to pull her legs into a normal sitting position. Sara watches her press the window down button, but of course the car isn’t running. Ava unlocks and opens the door instead, Sara taking a step back to give her room.

“What are you doing?” Ava’s question crinkles in her throat, giving away her exhaustion.

Sara steps into the open door and drops down a bit so she’s closer to level with Ava. “Did you sleep out here all night?”

The question has an obvious answer, and Sara watches Ava duck her head at that knowledge. Her hair, sticking up and puffed in various spots, makes Sara smirk. It’s really not fair that Sara wants to settle that hair with her own fingers to help Ava look more awake.

“I had to check the socials,” Ava says. She doesn’t look up again, instead grabbing her laptop and lifting a bag from the floor. “And I’d had a bit too much to drive right away, so I figured-”

“Oh, right.” Sara’s embarrassed this time. She runs a hand on the back of her neck. She really should have thought about that split bottle of wine before kicking Ava out last night. The can of beer. “Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s fine.” Ava shoves the laptop into the bag and shifts for a second, pulling her phone out from under her thigh. “I should, uh, get going.”

Yes, Sara thinks, she should. Sara remembers planning to stop interacting with Ava outside the socials last night. Her determination had seemed unshakable as she clicked and posted, the breaking of their friendship inevitable. Watching Ava, though, breaks Sara’s resolve instead. Ava is so close that Sara could reach out and touch her cheek. Ava is tired from her own night of work spent cramped in the dark. Ava hasn’t given away Sara’s personality, her handle, or her identity. And in the morning sunlight, with little sleep and a soft smile, Ava looks as trustworthy as Sara knows her to be. Sara needs to stop waffling between being Ava’s friend or pushing her away. And she knows which option she’s choosing.

“Or…” Sara lets the word sit for a moment before continuing. “I bet you’re hungry?”

Ava and Sara watch one another for a moment. Sara wonders if Ava’s thinking this is a bad idea or that Sara could have an ulterior motive.

“I thought you had breakfast plans with your sister?”

“Oh,” says Sara. “Yeah, I don’t.” She lets a sheepish grin run over her face. “I had work.”

“I know.” Ava shakes her head for a second before reaching up to pull an elastic out of her loosened hair. “Me too, turns out.”

Sara laughs as she watches Ava gather her hair as best she can to pull it into a bun. Ava seems unperturbed by the lie, and Sara knows that it's 'cause Ava wouldn't have hesitated before making a fake excuse if she were Sara. Sara can't help but smile, just a bit. "You would have done the same," Sara says. She knows it comes out as both a challenge and a hope.

"Yes." Ava tilts her head, squinting. "But I don't have a sister."

Sara chuckles, her nerves seeping out through the sound. “So, breakfast?”

Ava glances at Sara again. “I’ll pass. There’s no way I’m going out like, you know, this.” She gestures to her clothing, rumpled from being crunched in the backseat of her Ford.

Sara sighs at the unsatisfied pull that Ava's words draw from her stomach. She doesn’t want Ava to leave, not yet. “I do keep food in my apartment,” she says.

Ava looks to the side, maybe considering, maybe planning how best to let Sara down. She runs a thumb up her phone to unlock it and fiddles with it for a moment. “You didn’t text me back,” she says.

“Text you?” Sara pulls out her own phone, punching in her password and opening her messages. She’d forgotten. She reads Ava’s words quietly and chuckles. “You’re wrong. After midnight is the best time to feed the trolls,” she says.

Ava laughs. “I know. They’re not at all like gremlins.”

‘Were you trying to give me bad advice, Aves?”

Ava shakes her head, looking back at her phone. “Never.”

Sara pockets her phone and watches Ava for a moment. She wants to ask about breakfast again but knows that she shouldn’t push it. They are professionals. Competitors. And although Sara wants to be friends and knows that she can trust Ava, she doesn’t know how Ava feels. Ava could want distance, and no matter how badly Sara wants to tug Ava’s coat sleeves down to her wrists and straighten out the fabric she has to respect that possibility. She jumps when her phone vibrates in her pocket.

sharperdirectives  
  
Ask me if I would.  
  


Sara looks up to see Ava watching her. The text feels like it’s about more than breakfast. Sara fiddles with her phone, then leans against the open door and lowers her phone to her side.

Without knowing what she’s asking, Sara speaks. “Would you?”

“No.” Ava turns to swing her legs out of the car, her feet inches from Sara’s shoes. “I wouldn’t use us gaming together, or our friendship, against Legends.” She smiles.

Friendship, thinks Sara. She turns to the door, watching herself run a hand over the paint. “I wouldn’t either,” says Sara. The truth slips from her lips without her meaning to let it go quite so fast, but she doesn’t regret it. She can’t.

“Good.” Ava pockets her phone and reaches for her keys, which Sara sees on the center console where her laptop had been. “So breakfast?”

Sara reaches down for Ava’s hand, helping Ava find her feet. “Breakfast,” she agrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is, readers: That beloved trope where a character sleeps in their car outside their rival/crush's apartment in an effort to get some work done and has breakfast with them the next morning.
> 
> That's a thing, right?  
> Also, as self-indulgent as this sounds, I love Sara in her section here.
> 
> Anyway... *whistles*
> 
> I hope you are still enjoying the story! Let me know what you think in the comments if you'd like.
> 
> Best,  
> Erin


	18. Breakfast and Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stop, you don’t have to do that.” Sara moves to take the bottle from Ava, who sidesteps and blocks the grab with her shoulder.
> 
> “I can help now.” Turning back to the sink she covers the opening, shakes the bottle, and dumps the bit of water down the sink. “Where’s recycling go?”
> 
> “God you’re annoying.”
> 
> \-------
> 
> Sara looks around Gideon to challenge Zari. “You’re really going to give up the chance to play this game, pre-release, for pointless gossip?”
> 
> Zari looks at the controller in her hand, then back at Sara. She puts the controller down. “The game comes out in two days. Spill, Lance.”
> 
> OR
> 
> Breakfast, then questions.

**Ava:**

Ava has to pee. She asks Sara as soon as the apartment door is open and nods her thanks, walking in the direction that Sara pointed towards last night. As Ava crosses the living room Sara calls out that there’s a new toothbrush in the cabinet behind the mirror. Ava tries not to wonder if Sara always has a spare toothbrush in case strangers stay the night, and instead focuses on the relief of freshly brushed teeth after a night of drinking, unabashed snacking, and sleeping with her mouth open.

When Ava returns to the kitchen it’s clear that Sara took advantage of Ava’s distraction. The dishes from last night are piled into the sink and Sara’s in the process of carrying the wine glasses to put them on the counter. “Didn’t get a chance to clean up last night,” Sara says.

“I offered to help.” Ava picks up one of the wine bottles sitting on the counter and turns on the faucet, running water into the lip.

“Stop, you don’t have to do that.” Sara moves to take the bottle from Ava, who sidesteps and blocks the grab with her shoulder.

“I can help now.” Turning back to the sink she covers the opening, shakes the bottle, and dumps the bit of water down the sink. “Where’s recycling go?”

“God you’re annoying.”

Ava grins. “I can wash or I can cook, your choice.”

Sara plucks the rinsed bottle from Ava’s hands and deposits it near the end of the counter, next to some other empty bottles and cans. “Would you rather cook?”

Ava shrugs. She’s a decent cook, but she’s never taken over someone else’s kitchen. “Whichever,” she says. She watches Sara eye her up and down, as though debating something.

“How about we both wash up, then we cook together?”

Ava smiles. “Even better. I choose what we make though.”

Sara snorts. “Of course you do.”

The pile of dishes doesn’t last long. As they start to cook, Ava cracking the eggs and letting them fall into the bowl to mix with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and milk, she thinks about last night. The socials are probably still active, she knows, with gamers who missed the action as it unfolded retweeting and delving into the drama. As she dips the first piece of bread into the mixture she looks over at Sara, cutting strawberries. She’s surprised when Sara looks over to meet her eyes.

“We should probably check in,” says Ava.

Sara shrugs. “Yeah, probably. After breakfast?”

Ava uses a fork to flip the soaked piece of bread. After breakfast she should leave, go home and take a shower. There’s no way she should check her work things here, with Sara. Ava doesn’t really know why she brought it up in the first place. She lifts the bowl, carries it to the stove where a buttered skillet is warmed and waiting. She lifts and kinda flops the bread onto the pan, listens to the sizzle as it begins to become french toast. Putting down the bowl, Ava pulls her phone from her pocket. She opens Twitter even though she feels Sara watching her. “I’ll check yours too,” she says.

Sara shakes her head. “You’ve got a problem.”

“I do?” Ava pulls up the search screen and types in Legends. “I would say you had a problem last night but people seem to love the upgrades.” She steps to Sara and turns her phone, showing the avalanche of tweets praising the new weaponry and outfits.

“Of course they do. Ray-” Sara stops talking and shrugs. “Our team is great.”

Ava laughs as she walks back to the stove. “Of course they are. And mine is terrible, I’m sure you’d say.”

“I told you last night,” says Sara. “Your job is easy, and that’s because TBG has a great team.” She stops cutting and puts down the knife. “I’d better not see that online.”

“God, Sara.” Ava picks up the spatula that Sara took out a few minutes ago. “We talked about that.”

Sara shrugs.. “I know.”

The room is silent for a while, save the sounds of Sara making coffee and Ava making more french toast then they probably need. The action is comforting though, and she can’t help but smile at Sara when a steaming cup of coffee is placed at her side on the counter. “You didn’t even spill it this time,” she says.

“Shut up.” Sara bumps her shoulder against Ava’s before turning to get plates, forks, butter, and maple syrup.

Sara doesn’t have a dining area. Ava doesn’t mind sitting on the couch to eat, and they both quietly take the first bites of their breakfast.

“Oh,” says Sara. She quickly uses her fork to cut off a second bite. “This is good.”

Ava grins around her own mouthful. “Thanks.” She watches Sara’s eyes go big at the second bite, clearly startled by the flavor.

Sara’s on her third piece before she speaks again. “Any plans today?”

Ava chuckles, a piece of strawberry on her fork. “Work, and I suppose I must see what all the fuss is about with this mediocre game that just got some upgrades.”

Sara laughs.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. It’s called League of Asshats?”

“Oh my god.” This time Sara snorts, balancing the plate on her knees with one hand so she can cover her mouth with the other. “How have you not used that yet?”

Ava grins. “Just came up with it.” They both chuckle as they continue eating, and Ava finds herself watching Sara out of the corner of her eye. When she puts her plate down she looks at Sara properly. “What are your plans for today?”

“Oh, the usual. Meet up with friends, save the world, travel through time.”

“So you’re gonna play 2213?” Ava smirks at Sara’s eyeroll. “It’s the easiest form of time travel, you have to admit.”

“Right.” Sara puts down her own plate and raises her arms over her head, stretching. “I have some work to do too, but I’m not sure about the rest.” She’s not looking at Ava, who eyes the skin that shows between Sara’s shirt and her pants. Damn, Sara’s got abs, even after shoving three pieces of french toast down her throat. Ava closes her eyes and shifts her head so she’s staring at Sara’s TV when Sara finishes stretching.

“Want to see those updates now?” Sara asks. Ava glances over in time to see her shift to grab a PS4 controller.

“No,” says Ava. She thinks about the video she has of watching Sara play 2213 and feels a warmth come up her chest. Ava could say yes. She could see that excitement in Sara’s eyes, her smile warm and all encompassing as she moves through another world to share something new. Ava clears her throat. “2213 drops in, like, two days. I have to go.”

Sara puts down the controller and exhales, almost like she’s genuinely sad. “Right. Of course.” She tilts her head to glance at Ava, and in that moment Ava finds herself wanting to continue staring into those blue eyes. Clear, calm, self-assured.

Ava looks away and moves to stand, picking up her plate. “I’ll wash this, then I’m gone.” She hears Sara stand behind her, and when Ava gets to the kitchen Sara leans around to take the plate.

“You’ve helped enough,” she says. “Go. I could use a good bit of professional competition today, so the sooner you leave the better.”

Ava looks at the floor for a second. “Fine.” She steps to the door, picking up her coat. “Have a good day, Lance.”

“And you, Sharpe.” The two look at one another before Ava opens the door to leave. As Ava walks down the hall to the elevator she thinks about that moment and Sara’s eyes. There’s something bright and welcoming there, she thinks. And Ava knows, as she hits the down button, that she wants more than friendship from Sara Lance.

**Sara:**

That look. Sara drops her head into her hands, feeling her hair fall over her skin, and sighs. The look on Ava’s face after Sara said she could use some competition. Sara can picture it, Ava’s eyes dropping to the floor while her cheeks lift into a smile, her hair dropping to cover the blush that chases her smile. That look makes Sara want to go outside, climb into Ava’s car and go wherever Ava will be spending the day.

Sara must stop remembering how Ava looked after waking up in her car, hair and expression disheveled. Sara also can’t imagine putting her hands against Ava’s cheek, tilting her face up into a kiss as Sara stands over her. She can’t think about watching Ava bite into a strawberry while sitting on Sara’s couch. Sara can’t think about any of it, really.

Sara reaches for her phone, moving her finger to hover over the Twitter icon. Instead she opens her contacts to text Gideon.

waves  
  
gideon, u busy today?  
  


Sara puts down her phone and takes her head in her hands again. She needs a distraction, something to make her brain stop playing over the little ways that Ava makes Sara want to spend more time with her. She jumps a bit when her phone vibrates on the table.

waves  
  
With Z. We’re getting lunch at 12:30 if you want to join?  
  
perfect, thx.  
  


Lunch. Sara’s not going to be hungry by then. The french toast is sitting heavy in her stomach in a way that lets Sara know she won’t want more food until at least three. Instead she’s hungry for friendship, for advice and the way Gideon and Zari will be able to force her to think about anything but Ava Sharpe. In the meantime Sara will turn to work, and maybe take a nap. She doesn’t think she’ll manage to sleep though.

The restaurant isn’t crowded. Sara makes her way to the back table where she sees Zari and Gideon sitting, three hot beverages already on the table. As Sara walks over she pockets her phone, relieved that her friends already know about the shit show that was last night.

“Tired?” Gideon points to one of the mugs. “Coffee, the way you like it.”

Sara picks up the mug and takes a sip, tasting the sweetness of sugar to tamp down that bitterness that Ava seems to love. “You don’t even know.”

“I saw a post from after three.” Zari chuckles. “Honestly I’m surprised you’re up already.”

“I got up at like six,” says Sara. She fidgets in her chair for a moment. Of course Zari knows how late Sara was up. And of course Zari still got enough sleep to be a functioning human by lunch anyway.

“Why didn’t you go back to sleep?” Gideon is frowning as she sips her tea. “Why aren’t you sleeping now?”

Sara smiles. “No reason,” she lies.

“Right.” Gideon looks at Sara like she suspects there’s more to it, but instead she pulls out her phone. “Check this out.” She passes it over to Sara, who skims the article. It’s about the LoA breakdown, but the title and the messaging is more about the upgrades. A fantastic about face PR move. “You were on fire last night, Lance.”

Sara smiles. “Thanks.” She scrolls back up to the middle of the page, where a few tweets in response to the shutdown are shown. She chuckles when she sees one from TB Gaming.

“What’s that?” When Sara looks up Zari is staring at her.

“What’s what?” Sara hands the phone back to Gideon.

“That look.”

Sara opens her own menu, thinking she’ll get something small and light. “There’s no look.”

“Sure there’s not.” Zari doesn’t open her menu. She always gets the same thing when they come here, the donut pancakes.

The waiter comes a few minutes later to take their order. Sara is relieved when, towards the end of the meal, she realizes that they haven’t talked about whatever look Zari mistakenly thought she saw.

“You doing anything after this?” Sara asks the question without thinking about it. She puts down her fork and leans her elbows on the table.

“We were going to game at Gid’s.” Zari glances at Sara, almost smirking. “You have something else in mind?”

“Well.” Sara glances around the room before lowering her voice to almost a whisper. “I do have a copy of 2213 that we could check out?”

Gideon kicks Sara under the table. “Yeah, a copy that I gave you.”

“Still.” Sara shrugs. “Thought it’d be fun.”

“Yes,” Zari says. She glances at Gideon with a look to her eye, something that asks why she wasn’t given the copy. Gideon’s looks back at Zari.

“Sara could use it for work,” says Gideon. “And ok fine, let’s go.”

They sort out the bill and leave together, Gideon and Zari carpooling with Sara since they both walked to the restaurant from their nearby apartment.

Sara pauses as she unlocks the door. She forgot about the dishes. They are in the kitchen, but it’s obvious that there are two plates and two glasses and two sets of cutlery and. Sara sighs as Zari heads straight to the kitchen for some water.

“How are you thirsty? We just left a restaurant.”

“Those donut pancakes are thick,” calls Zari. “They always make me thirsty.”

Right. Sara sits down and grabs the controller to pull up 2213. Gideon goes to the case with the games, then pauses. She turns back to Sara and raises an eyebrow.

“What?” Sara toggles over to the game and selects it.

“Why do you have two controllers out?”

Sara stops her fingers on the controls. She glances at Gideon, then back at the screen. “One of them died and I didn’t bother putting it back to charge yet. Can you grab the other two and plug that one in?”

Gideon shifts over and picks up the controller Ava used last night. She hits the PS button and the traitor of a controller lights up in her hand.

“Weird,” says Sara.

“You had someone over to game,” says Gideon.

“And for breakfast?” Zari enters the room and flops down on the couch, taking the activated controller from Gideon.

“What?” Gideon’s voice jumps a bit with surprise.

“Two of everything. Unless you expect us to believe you ate the same food last night and this morning, both with maple syrup.”

Gideon turns to the cabinet and grabs a third controller. “You don’t usually have them stay over,” she says.

“It wasn’t-” Sara bits her lip to stop herself.

“So you admit there was someone?” Zari smirks. “You’ve never been shy. Spill.”

“There’s nothing to spill,” says Sara. “She’s just a friend.”

Gideon sits between Sara and Zari, turning her controller on too. Sara starts navigating through the menu, choosing the split screen multiplayer. She thinks Gideon and Zari are both watching her and a quick glance to her left proves she’s right.

“Nothing,” she says again.

Zari snorts. “Right, Sara. When did you game?”

“Last night.”

Gideon elbows Sara. “You gamed last night, she stayed over for breakfast, and you didn’t sleep with her?”

“You don’t game with any of your friends,” says Zari. “What is it you say? ‘Even those who try totally suck.’”

“I game with you guys.” Sara flicks between the character choices on the screen. Gideon and Zari aren’t moving their controllers.

“We work in the industry,” says Zari.

There’s a pause before Gideon turns to face Sara. “Wait.”

“No.” Sara selects Lexa and shakes her head.

“Oh my god.” Gideon elbows Sara again, harder. “It’s someone who works in gaming.”

“No.” Sara says the word with more conviction, but she also ducks her head. She tells herself that the motion is in response to Gideon’s elbow, not the sudden spike of something in her stomach.

“Yes.” Zari points at Sara. “Yes yes yes.”

“Who?” Gideon puts down her controller. “We’re not playing until you tell us.”

Sara looks around Gideon to challenge Zari. “You’re really going to give up the chance to play this game, pre-release, for pointless gossip?”

Zari looks at the controller in her hand, then back at Sara. She puts the controller down. “The game comes out in two days. Spill, Lance.”

“Ugh.” Sara sits back into the couch, dropping her own controller onto her lap. “Fine. But I’m only telling you that she does work in the industry.”

“Okay, something to work with.” Gideon bridges her fingers under her chin, like she’s thinking. “And you obviously really like her.”

“No,” says Sara. She pushes a loose bit of hair behind her ear.

“And you’re in denial about it.” Zari laughs. “Must be someone you shouldn’t like.”

“Or someone you have some animosity towards.” Gideon nods towards the TV. “And she’s obviously a great gamer.”

“Is she better than me?” Zari wiggles her eyebrows at Sara, who laughs.

“Not saying.”

“That’s a yes.” Zari gives Sara a challenging grin. “I bet I could beat her in LoA.”

“Oh!” Gideon gasps, then starts laughing. “It’s that new woman.”

Zari grabs Gideon’s shoulder. “Gonna have to be more specific than that, Gid.”

“That new one at TBG. The social media manager.”

“No!” Zari and Sara say the word at the same time but in completely different tones.

Zari spins around to look at Sara again before Sara’s done with her denial. “It is!” Zari laughs as Gideon pulls out her phone.

“Ava Sharpe,” Gideon reads. “Former head of social media for the National Parks Department.” She tilts the phone, smiles, then holds the phone out to Zari.

“It’s not her,” says Sara. She doesn’t believe the lack of conviction in her own voice as she picks up her controller. “Can we please get to playing?”

“Only after you tell us how you managed to do such good work for Legends with one of our competitors in the room.”

Sara lowers her hands to her lap and bites her lower lip. “Uh, I didn’t.”

“We saw the socials,” says Zari. “Don’t lie.”

“I kicked her out.” Sara chuckles at the absurdity of the admission and the knowledge that Ava hadn’t seemed to mind.

“Wait, what?” Gideon laughs. “You can’t be serious.”

“Yup. I told her that my family called but she knew I was lying.”

Gideon glances towards the kitchen. “But she ate breakfast here?”

“She slept in her car.” Sara shakes her head at the look of indignation on Zari’s face. “I didn’t know until this morning. When I saw that her car was still here I, uh, invited her up.”

“So she likes you too,” says Zari.

Sara coughs. “I don’t know. We’ve been friendly, but it’s not-”

“Why else would she stay in her car?”

“For work?” Sara says it in a mocking tone, like Zari is missing the biggest piece of the puzzle. “So she could get on the socials right away.”

“Ok, why would she stay for breakfast?”

Sara shrugs. “She was hungry.”

“2213 drops in two days.” Gideon sounds like she thinks Sara’s missing the entire point of this discussion. “Do you not remember how busy you are in the leadup to any launch? She didn’t stay because she was hungry.”

“There’s a Starbucks like, 2 blocks from here,” provides Zari.

Sara doesn’t say anything as she backs out of her character choice. She moves between the options again to give herself something to do. They can’t be right, and even if they are nothing can happen. This is, after all, her competitor. Not a friend, not a potential date.

Gideon picks up her controller with a shrug. “Ok, fine. We said we’d play once we knew. Let's play.”

Zari leans around Gideon to give Sara another smirk before picking up her own controller.

“About goddamn time,” says Sara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Ok, we're getting there! I didn't sleep well last night so I'm gonna keep my notes short. I just want to say thanks, as always, for reading.
> 
> Take care!  
> Erin


	19. Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mom and Dad.
> 
> Ava doesn’t hold a finger over the names because she knows that she cannot call them. Her parents are not the type to talk about their problems or to share secrets. They expect her to deal with things on her own, like they do.
> 
> \-------
> 
> Sara doesn’t know what she wants. She is frustrated by that fact, and she wishes that she could punch herself in the head to get an admission of her desires out. Does she want to date Ava? Sleep with her once? Have a friendship where they occasionally make out or hook up?
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava tries to work out the risks of Sara. Meanwhile, Sara is helped along in her own musings and listens to Ray give a presentation.

**Ava:**

The floor seems deserted. Ava knows that a lot of the staff work from home on the weekends, but she’s surprised by the quiet this close to 2213’s drop date. She shrugs off her coat and hangs it on the back of her chair. Her damp hair touches the base of her neck and she shivers. That shower did wonders to wake her up, but now she’s cold again. Ava opens one of her desk drawers and pulls out a sweatshirt, more comfortable than her jacket, kept for these occasions.

Ava wishes she could talk to someone about this. About the feeling she had immediately upon seeing Sara Lance outside her car. About her desire to accept Sara’s breakfast offer right away. About how Ava gave up three hours of her morning when she should have been working. About how, before the driving intensity of this week, her runs moved to right after her workday ended so that she could game in the mornings with Sara. And about how thoroughly she’s looking forward to a return to those easy 5:30AM conversations. As her computer loads she takes out her phone and begins scrolling through her contacts. The list isn’t long, and Ava skims over most of the early letters without pause. Her various college roommates, most of whom she hasn’t talked to for a couple of years. A few friends that she would share notes and organize study sessions with. None of them are close enough for her to call out of the blue, especially not to discuss her personal life. Ava pauses at the letter M.

Mom and Dad.

Ava doesn’t hold a finger over the names because she knows that she cannot call them. Her parents are not the type to talk about their problems or to share secrets. They expect her to deal with things on her own, like they do.

Ava doesn't feel completely comfortable with that kind of distance between herself and  
her own friends, but she hasn’t yet figured out how to minimize it. She continues scrolling as she thinks about the type of conversation she’d have with her parents if she called them now.

_I don’t know why you’re asking me about this, dear. You know yourself and can solve your own problems._ Her mother would undoubtedly be baking a tray of some kind of baked goods, hiding her feelings in confection.

_Ava, there’s no need to fret about all of this._ Her father’s tone always sounds like he’s telling a joke, regardless of what words he actually uses. _Reflect on it and come to your own decisions._

Ava puts her phone on her desk and logs into her computer. She doesn’t need to talk this through, she tells herself. The versions of her parents that she conjures in her head are right. She is her own advisor, and she knows that talking to Sara Lance, spending any more time with her, would be an illogical and incorrect step. She knows herself well enough to recognize that truth, despite the burning feeling this knowledge latches to her bones.

Forty minutes or so after Ava arrives her desk is looking far messier than usual. She has notes spread out around her keyboard and a half-eaten granola bar crumbled over the paperwork. She’s using some of the recent ad copy to flush out a last-minute online campaign that she’ll start posting, on the hour, beginning at midnight tomorrow.

Nothing like a rush to the finish to get her blood pumping.

Ava jerks her head up when she hears a door open down the hall. She wheels away from her desk, pulling her phone with her, and swivels around to see a bunch of her colleagues entering the room.

“Ava!” Rip is at the front of the group. He smiles as she heads to her. “Wonderful to see you putting in extra effort right before the launch. How’s it going?”

With a smile Ava swings back to her desk. “Check it out.” She backs out of the editing program she’s using and pulls up what she’s compiled so far. She feels Rip lean over to look and smiles when he whistles low.

“Not bad.” He claps her shoulder before straightening up.

“Thank you, sir.” Ava smiles at the screen until she hears him step away, then runs a hand down her face. She pushes the tips of her fingers over her closed eyelids, trying to shove the exhaustion back into them where it won’t be seen or felt.

“Long day?” Gary is sitting in his chair, which he’s wheeled over so he can look at Ava.

“I guess.” Ava backs out of the overview of her work. “Where were you all?”

“Mister Heywood called a meeting for anyone in the building at nine. There’s pizza in the upstairs conference room if you’re hungry.”

Ava glances at her granola bar. “Maybe later.”

“Well let me know ‘cause I kind of want more.” Gary spins his chair around and moves back out of Ava’s view.

Great, she thinks. Another lunch date with Gary. She opens her editing software again and gets back to work. She’d rather have a lunch date with Sara. Even if it isn’t a real date, or they don’t actually eat. She’d settle for a phone call, even. Ava lowers her head onto her desk.

“Gary?” After a moment Ava hears the chair wheeling over. She ducks her shoulder when she feels his hand. “Personal space, please.”

“Sorry.”

Ava turns her head to look at him. “Remember that conversation we had a while back?”

Gary opens his mouth, his bottom lip jutting out comically. “About how thoroughly unexplainable it is that some games never break the fourth wall as a comedic bit?”

“God, no.” Ava sighs. “And I told you, that would be completely out of place in 2213.”

“Maybe, but it’d also be great.”

“No.” Ava shifts to put her arms under her chin, the paper crinkling underneath her weight. “The conversation about the person I was texting.”

“Oh!” Gary moves his chair closer and Ava bites her tongue so she doesn’t admonish him again. “Still talking to her?” He drops his voice to a whisper. “Still texting her?”

“Ugh Gary, why do you make that sound dirty? It’s not like that.” Ava sits up fully this time, turning to face him. She pushes her chair back incrementally.

“But you want it to be.”

“Can you give me some advice, Gary? Real, honest, person-to-person advice?”

Gary shrugs. “I can try.”

Good enough, Ava thinks. “It’s complicated. She's not just someone in the industry, she works for one of our direct competitors.”

Gary’s eyes widen, his forehead crinkling with the action. “Oh.”

“Yeah. If I go out with her, and it goes sideways, that would be terrible for my job. Probably.”

Gary sits back in his chair for a second before leaning forward again. It’s like he can’t help invading the personal space of whoever he’s talking to. “That is difficult. Do you know if she likes you back?”

Ava shrugs. “I think so?”

“So you’ve talked to her. Outside of texting, I mean.”

“Yes.” Ava glances at her computer. “It started as DMs, then we met up for lunch, then texting. And now we’ve gamed together.”

“Does she know who you are?”

“Yes. She knows I work here, and honestly she’s had a couple chances to use stuff we've talked about against TBG but she hasn’t.” She says she won’t, Ava adds silently.

Gary leans forward more, his elbows on his knees. “You’re starting to trust her.”

“Maybe.” Ava runs a hand through her hair. “This is a bad idea though.” She watches Gary as he doesn’t respond. Trying to guess what he's thinking, she comes up short. “It is,” she says, “a bad idea. Right?”

“I don’t know.” Gary holds out the oh in know, as though he’s truly unsure. “If she likes you, and you like her, I don’t know that it’s bad.”

“Come off it, Gary. This is my job. Her job too. Of course it’s a bad idea.”

Gary shrugs and slinks his chair back a bit. “She clearly makes you happy, what could be simpler?”

“Not being competitors, Gary!” Ava’s words are above a whisper, and while she speaks she raises her hands to push the air, Gary’s words, away. Or maybe to stranger her own words. She catches herself and presses her hands to her slacks, lowering her voice again. “It’s unprofessional that I’m even thinking about this, never mind having this conversation.”

Gary shrugs again. “Maybe. But I think you need this conversation. I think you should talk to her about it.”

“Shut up, Gary.” But Ava smiles at him after she says it, her words losing their edge even as he grins at her. 

“Maybe she feels the same way,” he says. “And it’d be a risk for her too.” Ava watches Gary shift back into his own space before turning to her work.

And as Ava begins editing again she thinks, for the first time, that maybe she should give Sara Lance a proper chance.

**Sara:**

Not much is different. The pre-release version of 2213 is spottier in some areas, with less clean lines or digitization, but there aren’t any new components in the released version. Sara is further in the version she bought then she ever got with the one from Gideon, and she’s having a blast. The gameplay becomes more instinctual the longer she plays, and the problems she’s presented with develop into more complex knots. She pauses the game to look at time played. Five hours and twenty-seven minutes. Not bad for two days after 2213’s launch. Sara saves and backs out of the game, turning off her PS4 to get ready for work.

Sara doesn’t think about the fact that she hasn’t played with Ava since that night they played _Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes_. She ignores that they haven’t talked or even texted since the following morning. Instead Sara games by herself in the morning, pretending it’s her preferred time and that she isn’t constantly checking affiliated online accounts for a certain handle.

Before stepping into the shower Sara grabs her phone and goes to TB Gaming’s Twitch account. She watches the most recent video, a live stream completed late last night featuring those three female gamers that Sara and Ava watched at the same time almost a month ago. Ava’s distorted voice gives Sara a second of calm. She stops the video ninety seconds in and puts her phone on the counter as she prepares to shower. Undressed, water running, she turns back to her phone when it gives off that specific TBG tone. Covering the camera with a finger, Sara picks up her phone and opens Twitter.

_Why play League of Asshats when you could pwn the future in 2213? Right, @Legends?_

Damn. Sara puts down her phone and steps under the water. She’ll think of a comeback. She just needs to stop imagining the triumphant smile Ava must have worn as she hit _Tweet_.

As Sara arrives at work she smiles at Zari, who hands her a coffee. Sara was able to fire off a response twenty minutes earlier and she’s still walking with pride at the zing.

“Figured you’d be coming in for this.”

“Yup.” Sara takes a sip from the cup. “Thanks, Z.”

“No problem. Have you seen Ray yet?”

Sara looks around the table. “He’s not here yet?”

Zari shrugs. He’s leading the meeting, so Sara wouldn’t be surprised if he were in an empty office somewhere psyching himself up. Sometimes she thinks he should work to bring himself down before a huge presentation, but his energy never seems to bother Damian or Nora Darhk. Sara glances over to the corner where Nora normally sits. “Nora’s not here yet?”

Zari shrugs again. “Guess not.”

Sara looks at her phone. The meeting is supposed to start now but everyone around the conference table, mostly coders, are talking and goofing off. She looks at Zari, who raises an eyebrow.

“I haven’t heard from my friend in a few days.” Sara doesn’t know why she’s bringing this up. She should stare off into space like her other disinterested colleagues, but the cover of moderately loud conversations and the proximity to someone who knows about Ava makes her bold.

“I bet,” says Zari. “It’s a busy time right now.”

Sara nods.That’s what she’s been telling herself for over a week. They stopped gaming in the mornings because they’re both busy Then they stopped texting. Now there’s no contact between them, and she knows that Ava is still busy. She’s seen her socials and knows what goes into launching a new game even once the party ends.

“You should text her.” Zari is watching Sara, who takes her own turn to shrug.

“I don’t know,” Sara says. “This isn’t exactly, you know, easy.”

“Well, you’re both professionals.” Zari drops her voice a bit, not a conspicuous whisper but not easy to overhear either. “You’ve been communicating for weeks while keeping up the pretense of your, you know, online relationship.”

Sara runs a finger along the edge of the table. She knows that Zari is right. “What’s Gideon think?”

“She agrees with me,” says Zari. “You don’t often get invested in people, Sara. I don’t mean interested in, you know, spending physical time with people. I mean interested in something more. If you are, if that’s what this is, you should act on it.”

Act on it. Sara wants to laugh. She’s never been one to turn away from attraction, yet with Ava her friends are trying to talk her into making a move. And despite her hesitation she knows that Zari is right. Sara is a professional, and Ava has proven that she is a professional too. This could work.

Sara knows that she’s interested in Ava. The way her body reacts when Sharpe is around, how keyed into her Sara becomes. The dreams Sara’s had where she and Ava sit next to one another and game. The one dream where they did a bit more than that, and how Sara felt when she woke up. The little moments throughout the day when Sara thinks about Ava, or remembers something Ava said, or wants to text her. These feelings could develop, if Sara let them. If she can keep her personal life, well, personal.

Sara slumps in her seat. She stays like that until the conference room door opens and Ray walks in. Behind him, hands behind her back, is Nora Darhk. Sara can’t help the look she sends to Zari, who quickly replies with two raised eyebrows.

“Sorry about the delay,” says Ray. “Good morning team! Today we’re going to delve into the planned changes in two games-”

Sara’s thoughts drift in and out of the meeting. She listens to info about upcoming changes, knowing that Ray will give her copies of any updates before they are truly approved for Sara’s department to review but wanting an early head’s up anyway. When Ray talks about other things like adjustment in coding review Sara lets her mind wander, skating over to the conversation with Zari. Sara doesn’t know what she wants. She is frustrated by that fact, and she wishes that she could punch herself in the head to get an admission of her desires out. Does she want to date Ava? Sleep with her once? Have a friendship where they occasionally make out or hook up?

When the meeting ends Zari leaves the room with Sara. They go outside, taking a moment to breathe in some fresh spring air. Sara leans against the building while Zari stands, a hand on one hip.

‘What are you thinking?”

Sara puts a hand down to feel the smooth concrete along her back. “Do you think people know?” The question comes out without Sara meaning to let it, drifting in the air of its own accord and making Zari turn to properly face Sara.

“People? About you and you’re friend?”

“Gamers. Fans. Online.” Sara thinks about the comments and gifs, hints and straight up statements speculating that there’s something between the Legends and TB Gaming accounts. “They post things, sometimes.”

“What do you mean?” Zari looks genuinely curious.

Sara pulls out her phone and opens the file of comments, memes, and insinuations that she used to look at for a laugh. She’s left it closed for a while.

Zari holds the phone and a laugh escapes her lips. “Oh, Sara, this isn’t anything.”

Sara tilts her head. “How can you say that?”

“People are horny online.” Zari turns to lean against the building next to Sara. “They ship anyone who interacts. Or any cartoons. Things. You get the idea.”

“But they’re shipping us.”

“No,” says Zari. “They’re shipping the brands. The ship is about the sass of your intentional interactions, not about you.”

Sara lets out a small smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“You know I’m right.” Zari pushes off the wall and turns to the door. “I'm always right."

Sara kicks off the wall and moves towards the door too. "Keep telling yourself that, Tomaz."

"I don't need to, everyone knows it." Zari stops, hand stretched to pull the door open. "You should go out with her." She grabs the door and pulls. "In the meantime there are donuts in the breakroom. Let’s go.”

“Of course,” says Sara.

Yesterday’s conversation against the wall of Legends HQ plays through Sara’s head again. Sara and Ava still haven’t had much contact, two texts yesterday evening and a good morning a few hours after Sara got up today. No gaming sessions, nothing concrete. Sara’s sitting in her living room, plate of takeout in her lap, TV playing Good Mythical Morning on Youtube, when her phone vibrates in her pocket.

sharperdirectives  
  
You busy Friday night?  
  
not really  
  
u have something in mind?  
  
Thought I’d check out a new bar.  
  
and y r u telling me?  
  
Thought you might like to come.  
  


A bar. Sara and Ava have only been in public together once, and that had been a bit of a risk. So going to a bar? Sara knows that a lot of Legends employees go drinking on the weekends.

sharperdirectives  
  
where?  
  
30 mins outside the city  
  


Sara lets the question hang for a good five minutes. She knows, professionally, that she should say no. But Zari is in her head and, if she’s being honest with herself, she really wants to go. She smiles as she presses send to accept.

Maybe, Sara thinks, this will help her figure out what exactly she wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, although not huge, feels kind of important to the arch of the story. Sorry if it's a bit boring. (I'm pretty confident that you'll like the next chapter though, so don't worry.)
> 
> Anyway, I hope all of you are doing well! I went for a 3 hour hike yesterday (which was almost entirely flat, weird for where I live) and it was lovely. I hope you can find some time to breathe easy too.
> 
> Best,  
> Erin


	20. Dancing with Strangers (and Friends)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava is surprised when she raises her glass to find it empty.
> 
> “I guess I’m thirsty too.”
> 
> Sara looks over her own glass at Ava. “I guess so.”
> 
> \-------
> 
> This desire has been there for a while, although the veil of pretending is gone now. Everything Sara’s done tonight... confirm[s] Sara’s emotions. Whatever comes next can take it’s time, Sara thinks. Now the familiarity of playing a game, the banter that would accompany it, is alluring and soothing.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava dances a lot. Meanwhile, Sara does a bit of gaming.
> 
> ***This chapter is the reason for the mature rating. If you want to skip it then stop reading after they kiss. It’s the end of the chapter and there’s nothing plot-related that happens beyond the, uh, shift in their physical relationship. Thanks!***

**Ava:**

They haven’t talked about this night. Outside of the plan - Ava is to pick Sara up at 5:45 - they haven’t talked at all. Ava slows the car to pull into a guest spot at Sara’s apartment building. She sits for a moment, torn between texting that she’s here and going to the front door. She’s saved that decision when she glances at the door and remembers that she needs a code to get through the front door. Ava pulls her phone out of her purse.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
Are you ready?  
  
almost. u here?  
  
Yes.  
  
meet me at the door i’ll let u up  
  


Why? Ava grabs her purse and gets out of the car, pulling her jacket a bit closer around her. She walks through the parking lot and smiles when she sees Sara coming to meet her. Sara smiles back.

“Ava.” Sara’s voice is quiet as she opens the door. “You look great.”

Ava looks at Sara with a smile, taking in her black halter top and tight black jeans. She’s wearing fuzzy pink slippers and Ava chuckles.

“What? They’re comfy.”

They really go with your look.” Ava grins, the kind of smile she hasn’t given anyone in a while. “Seriously though, you look great too.”

In the apartment Ava stops. All she can smell is tomatoes.

“Did you have dinner?” Sara looks surprised when she notices that Ava’s still in the doorway. “Ava?”

“You made something?” Like this is a real date and Ava’s worth the effort and Sara cares?

Sara smiles. “Just pasta. Otherwise I wouldn’t have time to eat. I figured you might be hungry too.”

“Yeah.” Ava walks into the kitchen. Sara pours what must be pasta water into the sauce on the stove, then adds the pasta. She stirs it and Ava watches before her brain kicks on again. “Plates?”

“In that cupboard.” Sara points near the fridge and suddenly this feels like that morning when they made french toast, Ava moving around to finish preparing a meal. Soon they are sitting side-by-side on Sara’s couch, cloth napkins covering their outfits as they eat. They don’t talk much, but Ava can’t help counting how many times she catches Sara glancing her way. They finish at about the same time and Ava smiles when Sara excuses herself to get her shoes. Eight glances.

“No fluff?” Ava gestures to the slippers Sara is still wearing.

“Not when we might dance.” Sara doesn’t look back as she disappears down the hall and Ava thinks she might not be able to move for a while. Not if Sara is planning on dancing with her. Not now that she knows Sara can dance.

Ava hears the water run and when Sara returns, sitting down to put on her heels, Ava makes her way to the bathroom herself. She touches up her makeup after and then they leave, walking across to Ava’s car in stride.

“So where are we heading?”

Ava catches Sara glancing into the back seat as she looks to backup and wonders, for a moment, if Sara is remembering when Ava woke up there too. “I’m not telling,” says Ava. She moves the conversation to childhood games and where they grew up, what sports they played in school and related tidbits. Stuff they haven’t yet discovered about one another.

“Wait, is this the bar?” Sara laughs as she turns away from the window to look at Ava, who shrugs. “You brought me to a gay bar?”

“Why not?” Ava likes the way the rainbow neon light streams through the window and highlights Sara’s hair. “I hear they make good drinks.”

“Right.” Sara laughs again as she opens the door. “Well I’ve never been here before.” She looks like there’s more she wants to say, and Ava wonders if she’s made a mistake in bringing Sara here. Sure, Sara’s flirty with Ava, but maybe Ava’s somehow assumed wrong. But then the look changes and Sara’s smiling. She brushes her arm against Ava’s as they walk and gives Ava a wink. “Nice choice.”

“I hope so.” Ava brushes her own arm against Sara’s this time, letting the contact send a thrill through her mind. This isn’t a bad idea, she hopes.

Inside the bar the music is loud. Sara and Ava head to a tall table with no chairs near the dance floor, because of course there’s a dance floor. The space is littered with a few dancers, no more than five or so couples. Most are men and one is a group of three women.

“What do you want?” Ava doesn’t know if she’s closer to Sara than necessary, but she feels like if she were to back off Sara wouldn’t hear the question. She’s close enough to brush Sara’s hair from her ear with her lips if she wants.

“What?” Sara turns and Ava has to pull back to avoid contact.

“To drink.” Ava smiles.

“I got it,” says Sara. “What do you want?”

“I invited you out,” says Ava.

“You drove.”

Ava shakes her head. “You can get the next round. Come on, what do you want?”

Sara looks like she’s going to argue some more, but instead she smiles and puts a hand up to touch Ava’s shoulder. She leans in more than necessary to say, “Whiskey. Neat.”

Ava raises an eyebrow and steps away from Sara, towards the bar. Within a few minutes she has the drinks, weaving her way back to Sara. But there’s someone there, talking animatedly with Sara, when Ava returns.

“Ava, this is Zach.”

Zach is a couple inches taller than Sara and is leaning against the table like he’s holding it up. “Hi,” says Ava. She puts down Sara’s drink and holds out her hand to accept his shake, which is either weak with alcohol or because he can’t be bothered to impress her. Ava gives his hand an extra squeeze before releasing him.

“Hey-oh.” Zach smiles at Ava, then turns back to Sara. His words are practically a yell. “So what do you say?”

“I’m here with my friend.” Sara reaches for the whiskey and takes a sip, nodding to Ava.

“What’s going on?” Ava asks.

“I asked her to dance,” Zach says. “My usual isn’t here and she looks fun.”

“I am fun,” says Sara with a look to Zach that makes Ava want to steal Sara’ drink and down it. Instead Ava picks up her beer. She reminds herself that she’s driving.

“Go ahead,” says Ava. If Sara’s interested in Ava she'll say no, and if she’s not Ava will have however long Sara dances to get over it.

Sara looks confused for a moment before she looks at Zach, who holds a hand out dramatically. “Yes?”

Another glance Ava’s way and Sara is gone. Ava watches the pair move towards the center of the floor and drinks more of her beer. Zach snakes a hand around Sara’s waist and pulls her close, laughing and looking away from her as the song pounds up the base of Ava’s spine. Ava looks to the bar, towards the back of the room, along the wall, to the people in various clusters on the other side of the dance floor. When she finds Sara again there are two people dancing with Sara and Zach, a guy and a girl. Ava watches as the song presses into a faster rhythm and the new man reaches out to spin Zach away from Sara. Sara falters in her motion a bit, her hips stilling as she turns towards Zach. She’s suddenly facing Ava’s direction, and Ava watches as the woman who joined the group moves to dance behind Sara. Sara looks surprised at the contact and kind of shifts away from the woman for a moment and Ava has a surge of hope. She frowns when she sees Sara lean to her new partner as though listening to something she is saying.

This is stupid. Ava turns her head again to survey the bar. A woman is watching Ava, and when she notices Ava’s attention a smile spreads across her face. The woman is shorter, smaller even than Sara, with dark hair and a smile that makes Ava wonder if she’s a nice person. Ava holds her gaze but can’t bring herself to smile back. She’s thinking that she should play along, begins to imagine how to start a conversation with such a stranger, when the beer is pulled out of her hand. Ava turns to see Sara taking a sip, Zach and the rest no longer around.

“That’s not yours.” The reprimand comes out automatically, masking the sense of relief Ava feels because Sara isn’t dancing with those other people but is here, next to Ava.

“I missed you too.” Sara takes another swig and puts the bottle back in Ava’s hand, running her finger along Ava’s thumb before releasing. “Oh right. This is mine.” She gestures to the whiskey Ava’s been guarding.

Ava picks up the glass and, without breaking eye contact, takes a long sip. “Yup.” She hands the whiskey over then, noticing that her lipstick is smeared on the edge.

“Thanks,” says Sara. Together they both bring their own drinks to their lips, opening their mouths to the liquids. Ava wishes they were standing closer, Sara’s breath is on her lips and hands on Ava’s waist.

“Want to dance?” Sara’s question surprises Ava.

“Uh, maybe?” Ava glances out to the group that Sara left. There’s a new woman dancing with Zach.

“He wanted to pair me off with his friend,” says Sara.

Ava looks at the woman Sara left on the dance floor. She’s pretty, with reddish hair and a shy smile. Her friends seem to be having a pretty great time with her. “You could have stayed with them.” Ava brings the beer bottle back up for another sip but hesitates. “If you wanted to dance.”

“No,” says Sara. She takes another drink before putting it on the table. She reaches for Ava’s beer and puts it on the table too. “I’d rather dance with you.”

Ava is still, her breath not making its way up her throat until she swallows. “Ok.”

Sara’s smile is wide, confident. They pick up their drinks to finish them, then Ava lets Sara pull her to the dance floor. This song is full of bass, making Ava think of anger and aggression. As they stop walking Sara turns Ava in her arms, putting her hands on Ava’s hips. Ava steps closer, not enough for their bodies to touch but to give Sara’s arms a comfortable bend. They slowly start to move to the music, gradually catching up to the beat. Ava, looking over Sara’s shoulder, sees Zach starting at them. She ducks down and smiles into Sara’s shoulder, feeling something like triumph flush her cheeks. She leans a bit closer to Sara, her nose in Sara’s hair, when she feels Sara’s cheek skim her own.

God, Sara smells good. Ava breathes in through her nose, letting her breath leave her open mouth as she rests her hands against Sara’s hips. Sara slides her hands up Ava’s body, barely touching until she reaches Ava’s neck. Ava wants to moan when she feels Sara’s arms wrap around her shoulders, one of her hands tangling in Ava’s hair. The moment feels intimate, more personal than the positions of the other dancers on the floor even though most of them are moving in more lustful ways. Ava sighs into Sara’s arms as their bodies touch. Ava feels drawn to Sara in a way that feels familiar and new. Familiar in that Ava’s heard the sound of Sara’s breathing over headphones, close and personal. Familiar in the way Ava wants to be near Sara, wants to shift closer and feel her skin whenever they are together. New because Ava is letting this happen and Sara seems equally drawn to Ava. New in that Sara’s breath is heavy with the exertion in Ava’s ear. They’re that close, hearing one another exhale over the music and thrum of the bodies around them.

As the song changes, becoming slower and steadier, Ava takes control of their swaying. She senses resistance from Sara, cannot merely see Lance’s muscles tense but can feel them under Ava’s hands, but the moment passes as Sara turns her face to look at Ava. Ava, wanting Sara to know what she feels, guides Sara to the left, spins her, then brings her back into Ava’s arms, closer this time. They aren’t perfectly graceful, they have the hesitancy and the learning of two people who’ve never danced together, but the feeling is closer and heavier than any other first dance Ava’s experienced. She wants it to last, to blend into a second and a third song, until they have a way of talking with their bodies that makes sense beyond this one night. Sara seems to want the same and they don’t stop, not for a second drink or to get some air, for too long.

“Aves.” Sara’s voice is low, causing Ava to lean into her arms for a moment. At this point Sara is controlling the dance, driving their speed and direction. Ava likes giving up control almost as much as she wants to take it back, the push and pull reminding her of their tense banter online and the strong sarcasm rooted in most of their interactions.

“Mmmm?” The sound is a question, a hope. Ava can’t imagine stopping, doesn’t want to feel Sara pull away even as she feels her own sweat, an ache in her muscles, a weariness in her feet.

“I could use some water.”

Ava shifts back a bit, angling her face to see Sara. Lance is sweaty too, her blue eyes dark and hard to read in the low lit bar. Ava takes a step back but relaxes when she feels Sara take her hand. She turns and heads to the bar where they order two waters and sip in silence. Ava is surprised when she raises her glass to find it empty.

“I guess I’m thirsty too.”

Sara looks over her own glass at Ava. “I guess so.” There’s a joke to her tone, a note of knowing that tells Ava that Sara can read her body language and is fine with the meaning she’s finding. Ava moves closer to Sara, their free hands still holding one another, and nudges Sara’s shoulder.

“Are you tired?”

Sara looks surprised by the question. “Do you want to stop dancing?”

“No.” Ava squeezes Sara’s hand. “It’s late and we have a bit of a drive back, is all.”

“Right.” Sara puts her empty glass on the bar next to the tip she left. “One more dance?”

Ava wants to sigh with relief. She knows that sleep is important, that she’s not a kid anymore, that driving while tired is dangerous, yet she also knows that she needs another dance with Sara Lance. “That sounds perfect.”

**Sara:**

Sara can’t believe how quickly she and Ava pick up the movements of their previous dancing. There’s no hesitation, no moments where either of them need to figure where their hands should go. Their bodies come together as an electric guitar joins the beat, Sara raising her hands to the base of Ava’s neck again. She threads her fingers together in Ava’s hair, rubbing up and down Ava’s skin with her thumbs as she looks into Ava’s eyes. They don’t speak as they move and Sara imagines raising herself up to kiss Ava, keeping her hands where they are and letting the full weight of her body press into Ava. Instead Sara keeps her heels on the floor and her eyes on Ava, enjoying the joy that runs through Ava’s face as she guides Sara’s motions in the dance. As the song ends Sara feels herself being pulled into Ava’s arms in a hug. The motion is unexpected but oddly perfect, giving their intimacy a certain serious feeling.

“Ready to go?” Ava doesn’t sound rushed or determined.

“Sure,” says Sara. She follows Ava towards the exit and notices, as she’s going, that the feel of the place has changed. People are paired off or are looking around with a desire, a worried loneliness, that Sara recognizes from her own time spent looking for someone at the end of a late night in a random bar. She reaches to take Ava’s hand as they push through the door.

“Brr,” says Ava. Sara watches Ava rub a hand up her arm for a moment before Sara steps closer, into Ava’s space, to wrap her arm around the taller woman’s waist. They move quickly across the dark parking lot, Ava digging into her purse for her keys. Once the car door is open they both pull on their jackets, left in the car so they wouldn’t need to watch them in the bar. Sara shivers against the cold fabric on her arms until she feels Ava pull open the front of Sara’s coat. Ava steps into Sara’s space, putting her arms between Sara’s back and the jacket to hug her, making their individual warmth into something shared and until they both stand without shivering.

“Thank you,” Sara whispers. She can’t hear her own words over the thrum of pounding music left in her ears. They climb into the car and Ava puts the key into the ignition. The night lacks the cold of winter but it’s still spring in Star City after midnight. Sara reaches to turn the heat on, touching Ava’s hand reaching to do the same. They both chuckle as Sara brings her hand back to her lap. After Ava turns on the heat, backs out of the spot, and puts her car in drive, she reaches to take Sara’s hand.

This time the drive is mostly quiet, with one of them speaking periodically about nothing important. Sara runs her thumb over Ava’s hand periodically and smiles whenever she feels Ava do the same. Twice Sara lifts Ava’s hand to her lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the knuckles while thinking about holding that hand while she kisses Ava’s neck, her side, her legs. When Ava pulls into guest parking at Sara’s apartment she puts the car in park but doesn't turn off the engine. Sara smiles because Ava has no expectations, no qualms about driving the remaining ten minutes to her own apartment and sleeping alone. Sara feels like Ava’s lack of pressure is rooted in her belief that they should make their own choices, not that one of them should decide what happens for them both.

“Want to game?” Sara knows what she wants with Ava, has no doubt that a relationship where they truly try is the ideal. This desire has been there for a while, although the veil of pretending is gone now. Everything Sara’s done tonight, from choosing to rejoin Ava, the dancing, the touches and hope that tightens Sara’s breath, confirm Sara’s emotions. Whatever comes next can take it’s time, Sara thinks. Now the familiarity of playing a game, the banter that would accompany it, is alluring and soothing.

“Sure.” Ava sounds certain. She removes the keys and puts her hands in her lap. “What do you want to play?”

You. Sara thinks the word so loud that she’s sure Ava hears her confession.

“Sara?”

“We can decide inside,” Sara says. They get out of the car and Ava glances towards Sara then away, a practiced type of denial that Sara knows well. Sara moves to her side and takes her hand, and when Ava looks surprised Sara smiles. “I’m pretty open about who I’m with. Are you?”

“Yes.” Ava squeezes her hand as they hurry to the door. When they’re in the apartment they remove their shoes and jackets before Sara leads Ava into the kitchen.

“Want some tea?”

“Got anything stronger?” Ava follows Sara, releasing her hand to run her fingers up Sara’s arm before Sara starts looking around.

“Good idea.” Sara shifts over to a cabinet by the microwave and looks at their options. “Rum. I have ice cream and rootbeer, we could make floats?”

“Too cold for me, I’ll just have the rum and soda. Can I use the bathroom while you make the drinks?”

Sara nods as Ava leaves the room. When they are settled on the couch Ava leans forward to look at the games Sara has splayed on the coffee table. Most are recent releases, the others games that Sara plays with some regularity. “Great, pick something while I take a turn in the bathroom,” Sara says.

When Sara returns Ava has a look on her face that’s all smug triumph, something hidden behind her back. “You bought 2213?”

“No.” Sara scoots back on the couch and tucks her legs under herself. “I got it from someone.”

“Liar.” Ava pulls out the case. “This is a copy of the actual game. Not a demo or anything. And there’s a sticker!” She holds out the cardboard sleeve that the game comes in and points to a white tag with a red line through the middle in the GameStop style, the price in large black lettering.

“My friend paid for it?” Sara doesn’t try to sound convincing as she shuffles over to swipe the case out of Ava’s hand, pressing her arm against Ava’s as she moves. Sara leans into the contact and smiles to herself when Ava doesn’t shift away.

“How far into it have you gotten?”

Sara shrugs. Ava grabs the remote from the table and turns on the TV, then picks up the PS4 controller. When she scrolls over to 2213, still in the system, she grins and pushes into Sara’s side.

“Shut up,” says Sara. “I’m just checking out the competition.”

Ava selects the game and, while it loads, tilts her face to look at Sara. “I’m sure you are.”

“God, shut up.” Sara elbows Ava and laughs when Ava feins offence.

“Wow, you got pretty far.” Ava smiles at the statistics that show up when she hovers over the single player mode. “Here.” Ava hands Sara the controller.

“We can play together,” says Sara. She starts to stand to get another controller but feels Ava tug on her arm.

“No, stay. This was your idea. I’ll just fall asleep and get myself killed if I play.” As if to prove her point Ava yawns, stretching her arm that’s not grasping Sara’s into the air.

“Okay fine. But you’re staying the night.”

“I can drive home,” says Ava. Sara feels Ava’s head settle onto her shoulder and finds herself liking the idea of playing by herself, Ava curled into her side. Ignoring Ava’s nonsense about driving tonight, Sara selects her saved file and begins moving through the world, occasionally talking with Ava as Lexa expertly navigates the world under her control.

“No, you have to-”

“You didn’t want to play so don’t tell me what to do.” Sara’s admonishment is quiet, almost as soft as Ava’s attempt at giving advice. Sara lets go of the controller to pretend to close Ava’s eyes. “Will you fall asleep already so I can play in peace?”

“Pay attention or you’re gonna-”

Sara turns back to the screen in time to see a man with a shovel bludgeon Lexa.

“Yup,” says Sara. “Seems right.”

“Hmm.” Ava chuckles softly. Sara hits pause when she respawns.

“I kinda feel done,” she says.

“If you want to be.” Ava sits up and Sara wishes she hadn’t said anything. Ava had been warm at her side, the best blanket. She watches Ava get to her feet and stretch again, this time opening her eyes wide like she’s trying to wake herself mentally too.

“What’re you doing?”

“Helping you up.” Ava holds out a hand and Sara takes it, liking the feeling of renewed contact. “Walk me to the door?”

Sara smiles. “No, you really can stay. I’ll take the couch.”

Neither of them speak for a moment and Sara finds herself wishing this were like a movie. Ava would say that she doesn’t want to kick Sara out of her own bed and that it’s big enough to share.

“I don’t know.” Ava glances at the couch. “I was practically asleep out here already.”

“You’re like seven feet tall, your feet will touch the floor if you try to lay on this couch.” Sara smiles at Ava’s scoff.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Ava reaches up and tucks some of Sara’s hair behind her ear. Sara remembers her own hands in Ava’s hair as they danced and suddenly she wants that again. She takes a step forward, shorter without her shoes, and reaches up to wrap her arms around Ava’s neck. Sara doesn’t realize that it seems like a move until Ava’s face is less than an inch from her own, eyes closed in anticipation. Ava Sharpe is beautiful this close, beautiful and a little blurred from her proximity. Sara wants to kiss her, to make this night into what feels inevitable. To bend their relationship into a new form that involves deeper feelings, more intentional touches, and passion.

Sara lifts herself onto her toes for the kiss, brushing her lips lightly over Ava’s. She feels Ava exhale through her nose as their lips start to move together. Sara pushes a little and feels a thrill when Ava pushes back, letting Sara lead. Sara opens her mouth against Aav’s lips and licks them, then gives a small suck until Ava lets out an almost silent moan and opens her mouth too. Sara shifts her head and feels her nose brush against Ava’s, then tilts her head back to feel that same sensation again. Slowly she licks Ava’s open lips again, this time pushing her tongue a bit into Ava’s mouth at the end of the motion. She feels one of Ava’s hands come up from her waist to grip the back of Sara’s head as she moves a half-step closer to Ava, and Ava growls in her throat when she feels Sara’s leg push between her own.

“Are you still tired?” Sara’s voice is low, serious, with a hint of a challenge. She is not asking if Ava wants to sleep, and she sees the moment when Ava reads the true question.

“No, but I could lie down.” Ava smirks as Sara thinks about what that means. Ava, in her room, not sleeping but sprawled under or on top of Sara. A night of private dancing with her hands in Ava’s hair.

“Are you sure?” Sara’s asking for permission.

“Yes,” says Ava. She pushes her lips to Sara’s again, this time moving a hand from the base of Sara’s neck to cup her cheek. “Take me to bed, Sara.”

The two women wrap their arms around one another’s waists as they make their way through the apartment to Sara’s room, walking sideways through the door. Sara shuts the door behind Ava, an unnecessary action since she lives alone. They turn to one another and begin kissing as soon as the door clicks closed, this time aggressive and full of desire. Sara feels herself lighting up with Ava’s touch, imagines kissing her stomach even as she brings her lips to Ava’s neck. The dried sweat from their time spent dancing is salty and makes Sara groan at the idea of making Ava sweat again. With a shove Sara guides Ava backwards, towards the bed, and together they lay down on their sides, facing one another, arms clutching their waists but otherwise not touching. They stop kissing, the action paused as Sara swallows. “You’re beautiful,” she says. She watches Ava’s teeth tug at her lip, her eyes closing briefly.

“You’re beautiful,” echoes Ava.

Sara is the fist to move, pulling against Ava’s side as she slides forward to meet Ava. Before Sara can lift herself her shoulder is being pushed so she falls onto her back and Ava’s straddling her, bent over Sara’s body as they kiss. Sara feels Ava’s hands under her shirt, tracing her stomach, searching upwards.

“Yes?” Sara asks quietly, wanting to know that Ava’s comfortable even when Ava is the one in control.

“Yes.”

The word is hardly out before Sara sits up to remove her shirt, pushing Ava away long enough to pull the fabric over her head. Ava lowers herself back down to kiss Sara’s collarbone and Sara closes her eyes. She feels Ava’s hands run up her sides to her bra, then turning to scoot between her back and the mattress. Sara lifts herself again, balancing on an elbow as Ava works to unclasp the bra. The work is fumbling and for a second Sara thinks she might fall onto Ava’s arms but then the bra is off and Ava’s sliding the shoulder straps down and Sara’s skin is being caressed and touched in a way that makes her turn her head to the side and tug at Ava’s hair.

Ava sits up and Sara follows her, dropping her hands to the hem of Ava’s shirt once she realizes what Ava’s doing. They get rid of the fabric and Ava raises her arms, shuffling back so Sara can sit up properly. Sara pulls herself towards Ava, pressing their torsos together as she removes Ava’s bra, then they’re both falling onto the bed, skin on skin, as Ava moans directly into Sara’s ear. Sara brings a hand to Ava’s hair again.

“God, Ava.” Sara slips a hand to the back of Ava’s jeans, feeling her ass and smirking as Ava finds her lips again. They kiss for a moment before Ava shifts down to unbutton Sara’s jeans. Sara’s fingers catch in Ava’s hair as Ava moves, causing Ava to gasp. Sara lets go and slowly untangles her hand before adjusting to scrape her fingernails against Ava’s scalp, receiving a groan in reply. Sara tries to unbutton Ava’s slacks one-handed, and it takes her twice as long as it should but she doesn’t mind. Then they’re both sliding out of their pants, legs rubbing against one another and Sara can tell that Ava retains one sock somehow but neither of them care. Sara reaches up for Ava’s ass again with one hand and shoves her shoulder with the other, flipping her onto her side.

“I want to feel you first,” Sara says.

Ava laughs as she shuffles over, getting herself under Sara’s body. “It’s not a competition,” she whispers.

Yes it is, Sara thinks. She leans forward and bites down on Ava’s ear, getting a gasp as a reward. She nips along Ava’s neck and doesn’t plan her motions, tasting salt and feeling heat that makes her want to feel Ava release a whimper from her lungs.

“Can I?” Sara has one hand over Ava’s underwear, ready for an enthusiastic nod. What she’s not ready for is Ava’s adamant yes and a hand going into Sara’s underwear at the same time, stretching the fabric and slipping a finger to feel Sara as Sara moves her own hand against Ava. Sara bites her own lip before lowering her head to kiss Ava, shortening the length between her own breathes with each thrust of her hips into Ava’s hand.

“Sara.” Ava’s voice is still controlled and Sara wants to unravel it, to hear a desperation that matches what Sara feels as she jerks against Ava’s hand. Together they work on that unraveling, making one another moan into locked lips with shaking hands. Ava loses herself first, and Sara gasps as Ava’s pleas become barely caught, jagged breathes, her hand slowing inside Sara. Her other hand tightens in Sara’s hair, making Sara release a groan that only seems to please Ava more. Sara keeps her eyes open as Ava pushes Sara back, swearing under her breath and then pulling Sara tight against her body. Sara is frantic, wanting to live in this feeling for longer than it can last, to watch Ava trust her so completely and so beautifully.

For a while Ava is still under Sara, until she opens her eyes and raises herself enough to kiss Sara.

“Did I win?” Ava’s voice is full of air and tired excitement, causing Sara to think about dancing with her again. Ava kisses Sara’s nose before shifting down to lick the edge of Sara’s mouth.

“No,” says Sara. “You only win when you get me off.”

“I wasn’t playing that way.” Ava smiles and Sara wants to relive this experience again, to feel Ava bend under her fingers and moan into her mouth.

“Sure you weren’t.” Sara shifts her hand less than an inch and feels Ava respond throughout her body, a hitched breath skipping out of her mouth and her muscles becoming taut.

“So what you’re saying is it’s my turn again?”

‘Maybe.” Sara lets her voice drop to a whisper, her lips skimming Ava’s ear.

“No.” Ava begins moving and Sara knows that Ava will take her as thoroughly as she just took Ava. She knows and she craves it, even as her hand remains against Ava, occasionally stroking and waiting for another turn. They break and crash against one another, moments of almost painfully tender touches surpassed only by rough scraping and rocking. The actions are sometimes tentative, at others certain, the learning of two people who’ve never done this with one another but feel a connection that neither wants to deny.

After, once they’ve both used the bathroom and brushed their teeth, once they're almost asleep, holding one another like the lovers they’ve suddenly become, Sara thinks about the next morning. Her thoughts don’t jump to asking Ava to leave or making herself coffee alone. She imagines waking up to Ava beside her, breakfast shared between them, and seeing that look in Ava’s eyes that makes Sara feel a great deal more than she ever expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wiggles eyebrows*
> 
> After 10pm seems like the appropriate time to post this chapter.
> 
> I've never written a scene that involves sex (well, not one I've let other people read), so please excuse any weirdness. I hope you're happy with this it.
> 
> Also - for the record - I eat pasta out of bowls, not on plates. And I 100% think Ava would judge people based on their handshake.
> 
> Thanks, once again, for the kind words and kudos. I hope you are enjoying this fic as much as I am!
> 
> Best,  
> Erin


	21. Joyful News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Hank Heywood [h.heywood@tbgaming.com]_  
>  Miss Sharpe,
> 
> _As you can see below, 2213 has been nominated by IMGA for Breakout Game of the Year!_
> 
> \-------
> 
> The email only includes nominations info for Legends, and Sara can’t help wondering what companies and games her company is up against.
> 
> OR
> 
> Professional recognition and competitive feelings!

**Ava:**

Brrrrrrph-beep. Brrrrrrph-beep.

Ava rolls over to reach her phone, propping herself on an elbow to stretch over Sara. She’s barely hits dismiss alarm when she feels a finger nudge her side.

“Stop.” Ava’s word isn’t a real request and Sara seems to know it as she twitches her hand along Ava’s ribs, right where she’s ticklish. Sara figured that trick out the fist morning after they slept together, six days earlier. Ava releases out one sleepy chuckle before letting herself fall onto Sara, exhaling as their bodies touch in a rough enough way to startle Sara.

“Oof. Hey.” Sara’s complaint is slow and soft.

“Should’ve stopped,” whispers Ava. She nips at Sara’s neck before rolling off. “C’mon, we have an hour before we have to get ready.”

“Fine.” Sara shoves a hand against Ava’s shoulder as she starts to sit up and Ava pushes right back, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact and the ease with which they move around one another.

Six days, Ava thinks. This is the third morning they’ve woken up together, yet the action feels known and relaxing and familiar. Ava pulls on her shirt, dropped to the side of the bed the night before when Sara asked if it could come off. She feels Sara’s arms wrap around her from behind, her hands working their way under the fabric to hold Ava’s stomach. She feels Sara pull her back, turning to place a closed-mouthed kiss against Ava’s lips.

“Mmm,” says Ava. “Morning breath.”

“Thanks babe.” Sara swats at Ava’s arm but Ava knows that Sara doesn’t mean anything by it. Ava already explained, on that first morning, that she worries about her own breath chasing Sara away in the morning. Ava knows it’s a weird quirk, but she doesn’t like kissing before she gets a chance to brush her teeth.

“I’ll be right back.” Ava shrugs off Sara’s grip to get out of the bed properly, finds her underwear, and steps towards the bathroom.

“I’m coming.” Sara also grabs her unused sleep clothes as she gets up, pulling them on as she follows Ava.

While they brush their teeth Sara tries to talk to Ava, for some reason. Ava just shakes her head and checks Sara softly with her hip at the garbled and unintelligible sounds. When they’re done they head to the living room, Sara finally repeating what she’d been allegedly saying.

“Zari still won’t game with us. Something about how no gaming partner, regardless of their skill, is worth getting up at, and I quote, 'five-fucking-thirty.'”

“She’s kind of right,” says Ava. She puts her arm through Sara’s as they stand in the kitchen. Sara’s making the coffee. Ava could go in the other room to turn on the PS4 but she likes the feel of Sara, of being in her space. “But would she join us if she knew we were sleeping together?”

“Oh, without hesitation.” Sara raises an eyebrow at Ava. “I’m not gonna lie, I’ve thought about telling her for her reaction alone.”

Ava reaches out and smacks Sara's hip, at the same time wondering if Sara' friends will ever know that they're together. Hoping, in the forefront of her mind, that they will.

Ava loves the sudden change to how they game together. Sitting in the early morning, the sun shining through the partially opened blinds. Ava tucks into Sara’s side or has her arms wrapped around Sara’s body, holding her controller in front of Sara who sits on the couch between Ava’s legs. When they game that way Ava can brush kisses along Sara’s neck after particularly good moves. During the mornings they’ve been apart they’ve still gotten up to play together, Ava missing the physical closeness they’ve established even as she loves hearing Sara breathe in her ear. Although they have yet to discuss what they are, or the future, Ava will take what is happening now. She will cherish these moments as they come, grateful for Sara and for her trust.

This morning they play LoA before Sara shifts to start getting ready for work. Ava saves their progress and pulls out her phone as she hears the shower turn on. She checks her DMs on Twitter and Instagram before opening her work email. About seven emails in is a forward from a contact she’s never corresponded with before, but she immediately recognizes the email. Or, at least, the organization affiliated with the email.

_Hank Heywood [h.heywood@tbgaming.com]  
Miss Sharpe,_

_As you can see below, 2213 has been nominated by IMGA for Breakout Game of the Year! I know this is largely down to you and your work on the socials, and as such would like to invite you to take one of our invitations to attend the awards ceremony._

_Since you have joined TB Gaming our audience has increased by leaps and bounds, and they have shown their love for you in likes, comments, subscriptions, follows, and, of course, game purchases. Congratulations on all you’ve done to make that love, our unprecedented sales, and this nomination possible._

_Please let Mr. Hunter know if you can attend and RSVP through the link below._

_Congratulations again, and thank you._

_Hank_

Beneath Heywood’s email, unbelievable in and of itself, is the forwarded message from the Immersive Media and Gaming Awards stating that 2213 has, in fact, received nominations in five categories. Ava rereads both messages multiple times.

_Nominated in the following categories:  
Animation  
Writing/Story  
Online Multiplayer  
Most Anticipated  
Breakout_

“Aves?” 

Ava looks up to see Sara toweling the ends of her hair as she steps into the living room, already dressed.

“Yeah.” Ava puts down her phone and stands up. She clears her throat. “I can shower now,” she says.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Sara wraps her hair in the towel, steps forward, and reaches for Ava’s hand. “Is it a work thing?”

Ava pauses before nodding. She knows that she can tell Sara if she wants, that Sara won’t use it against TBG or preempt her on the socials. They’ve talked about this. “I got an email.” She wants to smile, to pull Sara into a hug, but she’s not sure how Sara will take the news of a rival’s success.

“Do you have to go? I can make you some toast or something while you shower so you can eat on the road.”

“No.” Ava looks at Sara’s shoulder and lets herself grin now. She bites her lip. “2213 got nominated for something.”

“Wait, really?” Sara shifts her head down to meet Ava’s lowered eyes. “The only awards this time of year are-”

“Yup.”

“No way!” Sara doesn’t hesitate before pulling Ava into a hug. Ava feels herself slump against the joy coming from Sara, and suddenly she wants to explain it all.

“Five categories,” Ava says. “Including Beakout.”

“Ah!” Sara leans back to look at Ava’s eyes. She does a kind of jig as she lifts Ava’s hands to her chin. “That’s, like, your category!”

“What?” Ava laughs for a second.

“Rip always said that any success in Breakout is down to marketing.”

Ava pulls back, taking a small step. “Wait, you know Rip?”

Sara laughs. “Of course he wouldn’t tell you.” She shakes her head and the towel, although still snug, becomes a bit lopsided. “He worked for Legends before TBG. For, like, five or six years.”

“What?” That can’t be right. TB Gaming hates Legends.

“I know, right?” Sara grins. “He was my boss for three years before he left.”

“Why’d he jump ship?”

Sara shrugs. “Everyone always says betrayal and treason, but TBG just gave him a better offer and Legends decided not to match it.”

“Hmm.” Ava steps forward again, drawing Sara in. “I’m excited,” she whispers.

“You should be.” Sara wraps an arm around Ava’s waist, letting her palm move over the skin of Ava’s lower back, under her shirt. Ava feels Sara’s breath on her neck.

“That’s not fair,” says Ava. She pulls at Sara’s shirt, tucked into her pants. “I know we don’t have time for two more showers, but what about one with two people?”

Sara leans forward and kisses Ava, letting out a quiet moan into her mouth, before responding. “I get why you’re nominated now,” she says. “You’re a genius.”

**Sara:**

Sara wants to celebrate properly with Ava. Not that sex in the shower isn’t a fine way to recognize an accomplishment, but she wants more. To take Ava out, show her how proud Sara is of the work she’s done. To tell Gideon and Zari and have them hate the fact that Sara’s gushing about her girlfriend.

Wait. Sara stops her musing as she stares at her computer. They’re not dating, not really. They’ve never talked about it. Yet to think of Ava as Sara’s girlfriend feels, well, weirdly right. Sara wants this, for the two of them to know that they’re together and that their actions mean more than a prolonged fling.

Damn, when did Sara get soft?

When her phone goes off she practically jumps for it even though it’s on her desk, two inches from her hand. It’s gotta be Ava.

Waves  
  
Check your email  
  
no  
  


Sara avoids looking at her email for about seven minutes. Ok, she doesn’t actually avoid it, that’s simply the amount of time it takes for her to finish flushing out an idea she has and pull up Gmail.

Waves  
  
OH MY GAWD  
  
I knoooooow!  
  
It’s the most we’ve ever gotten!  
  
so awesome!  
  
tbg got some too  
  
...  
  
Sara  
  
gids  
  
How do you know about TBG?  
  
their socials  
  
duh  
  
They haven’t posted anything yet.  
  


Sara pulls up 2213’s Twitter and sure enough there’s nothing about the IMGAs yet. She moves to Instagram and Discord, Reddit and, unlikely as they are to announce on these platforms, Youtube and Twitch. Gideon’s right, nothing’s posted.

Waves  
  
it must’ve been a dream or smth  
  
Sure, we’ll pretend she didn’t tell you.  
  
idk who u’re talking about  
  
You’re a bad liar, even over text.  
  
Anyway we’re not allowed to post about the noms until this evening  
  
After IMGA posts them  
  
i knew that  
  
I hope you normally read emails more carefully than this  
  
shut up i’m great at my job.  
  


Sara looks at the email again, this time reading it more thoroughly. Gideon is right, they’re only allowed to post their own announcement once IMGA’s platforms are full of who’s nominated for what. Sara vaguely remembers that’s how it is every year. The email only includes nominations info for Legends, and Sara can’t help wondering what companies and games her company is up against. She reads the nominations again carefully.

_Nominated in the following categories:  
Soundtrack  
Animation  
Longstanding  
Voice Performance  
Writing/Story  
First Person Shooter  
Online Multiplayer  
Fan Favorite  
Game of the Year_

Nine. Sara does a search through her email and confirms that Gideon is right, that’s the most nominations the company has ever received. She goes back to the new noms and reads them through again. The only one Ava told her about for TBG is Breakout, which Legends wouldn’t be eligible for because they don’t have any new releases this year. TBG could be up for most of the others though, except Longevity. And Fan Favorite, since the only game they have that’s garnered a huge audience is 2213 but that’s barely out of the case. Sara taps a finger on her keyboard. The same is probably true for Game of the Year. But a head-to-head in any other category would be amazing for the socials, and Sara knows both she and Ava would have a blast pitting the two companies directly against one another. In the meantime, Sara wants to celebrate.

During her lunch break Sara does a quick search on her laptop. She knows a lot of the local restaurants, but she wants to take Ava somewhere special. She settles on an upscale place just outside of the city, roughly fifteen minutes from Ava’s apartment. They can take a Lyft or the subway to get there. The pictures look inviting and give off a feeling of privacy. The menu is varied and the drink menu leaves nothing to be desired. Sara takes out her phone.

sharperdirectives  
  
dinner? tonight? formal?  
  
What’s the occasion? 😏  
  
there isn't one  
  
i’m just hungry  
  
Right.  
  
so r u in or should i ask someone else?  
  
Don’t you dare.  
  
great. i’ll pick u up at 6:30, babe  
  
😘  
  
🥰  
  


Sara navigates the restaurant’s website to find the online reservations section and chooses 7pm, an easy grab for a weekday. She gives her info and leaves the website, returning to her work with a sense of warmth in her belly that can’t be attributed to her sandwich.

The end of the workday finds Sara refreshing the IMGA Twitter account every two minutes. She’s at home, having left work early in case the nominations are posted late so she can still get to Ava’s on time. She has two outfits out on her bed, and in the minutes where she’s not stalking IMGA she is debating the merits of the two looks. Her fifth refresh loads the Tweet announcing the nominations, complete with a link to a full list on their website, Sara clicks through, uses control-F to verify that Legends are nominated in each of the categories that the email specified, then pulls the various statements she drafted after lunch to announce the noms.

She wants to search for the TB Gaming nominations after verifying the Legends, but knows that it’s more important to get her own posts out there first.

When she’s done posting on all the platforms Sara clicks over to @TBGaming. The account has three new Tweets, one recognizing the nominations in general and five more for specific categories. Sara grins. Stating the accomplishments in one, then isolating and discussing each individually, is a great way to go. Sara jumps into the comments for the first Tweet from TBG and hits the little talking bubble that will let her comment.

_Replying to @TBGaming  
9 is more than 5, babe_

There’s less than two minutes before Ava responds.

_Replying @Legends  
Wow, you can count! 🤯_

There’s only one way to respond to that nonsense, Sara thinks. She hits reply and sends Ava the middle finger emoji before she takes a more serious look at the nominations that Ava has listed on her post. Sara practically squeals when she sees that Legends and TBG are up for three of the same awards. This is going to be so fucking fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not alone in feeling bad when I kiss my wife in the morning, right? Feeling an intense desire to go brush my teeth right away?
> 
> Wait, I am?
> 
> Oh well.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and for all of the amazing comments on the previous chapter! I'm glad you all seemed to really like it, and love reading your kind comments. You're all amazing! I'm sorry I haven't responded yet, I was a bit busy for the first time in what seems like forever. I'll get to them soon. <3
> 
> <3  
> Erin


	22. Dinner and Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara immediately picks up her glass and, once the man leaves their table, she raises it. Ava eyes her wearily, suspecting that she knows where this is going. “I think we should drink to you, Ava Sharpe.”
> 
> \-------
> 
> Attending the Immersive Media and Gaming Awards would be trading her anonymity for the ability to be in the room with Ava, not to be near her or to truly support her.
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava and Sara have dinner, then Sara tries to make a decision.

**Ava:**

“I’m glad I’m sleeping with someone who can-”

Ava stops talking as she takes in Sara’s outfit. She’s wearing a low-cut red dress with off the shoulder sleeves and black heels, the kind of outfit that bring to mind passionate dancing and serious romance.

“Ava?” Sara steps into the doorway, running a finger up Ava’s arm.

“Um, I just mean,” Ava closes her eyes. “With someone who can do basic math.” The bite of the insult disintegrated on her tongue, the traitorous muscle obeying the warmth that builds in her rather than her desire to mock Sara.

She feels Sara step into her space, her breath on Ava’s cheek. “You look good too.”

Ava, without opening her eyes, turns to find Sara’s lips. They kiss for a moment before Sara pulls back. “You’re gonna ruin my lipstick before we even get there.”

Ava smirks as she watches Sara move into the apartment, thankful the back of the dress is more conservative with just a flash of skin near the top that can barely be seen under Sara’s hair. Sara heads to the bathroom, undoubtedly to check her lipstick. Ava sits down on the couch and slips into her sport socks and ankle boots. The warmer weather of the last month makes her dress, a knee-length mustard yellow paired with a black belt to match her shoes, a fine option for the evening.

“Yup, you smudged my lipstick.” Sara comes back into the living room and puts a hand on her hip. She’s smiling though. “Are you ready?”

Ava stands up. “Whenever you are.”

Together they make their way downstairs where Sara has a Lyft waiting.

“Do you ever drive?” Ava opens the door for Sara.

“When I’m not planning on drinking,” Sara responds. Ava nods at the levelheaded response and slides into the car next to Sara. Ater the driver greets them and compliments their outfits they settle into silence. Ava and Sara occasionally make eye contact until five minutes into the drive, when Sara reaches over to take Ava’s hand. Ava finds that she cannot stop smiling at her shoes for the remaining ten miles. This feels like more than the nights they’ve spent together, the sarcastic barbs blunted by some form of affection. She hopes this is more.

“Here you are!” The driver turns in her seat to smile at Ava and Sara. “Must be some great guys to get you both so dolled up.”

“I don’t get dolled up for guys.” Ava squeezes Sara’s hand and opens the door, pulling Sara out behind her. “Have a good night.”

She turns to offer Sara a hand and smiles when Sara rolls her eyes. “We have to be meeting men, huh babe?”

Ava notices the driver drop her eyes and turn to face forward at Sara’s words.

“I’d much rather be here with you,” says Ava. She tugs Sara closer as they walk towards the restaurant, and Ava can’t help noticing how the people in the entryway are dolled up too. They are seated within five minutes and Ava looks around appreciatively. “Not too bad, Lance.”

“Yeah, well.” Sara knocks her foot against Ava’s under the table. “I thought we could use some class for our first real date.”

“You don’t count the bar?”

Sara tilts her head a bit as she answers. “Do you?”

“Kind of?” Ava runs her hands over the napkin in front of her. If so that date began with Sara dancing with someone else. The entire evening Ava wasn’t sure where she and Sara stood. “I suppose not.”

“A bit backwards, but we got here.” Sara reaches across the table for Ava’s hand. Ava automatically glances around, not to see if anyone is looking but to take in the place where she and Sara feel this comfortable.

“I don’t mind.” Ava glances up at Sara and sends her a shy smile. “Doing things the wrong way, I mean. Being normal is overrated.”

Sara reaches for her water with her free hand and takes a sip. “I agree.” They watch one another for a moment until their waiter joins them. They release one another to pick up their menus.

“Ladies, welcome. Can I start you with something to drink?”

While they’re perusing the menu the waiter brings over their drinks. Sara immediately picks up her glass and, once the man leaves their table, she raises it. Ava eyes her wearily, suspecting that she knows where this is going. “I think we should drink to you, Ava Sharpe.”

“No,” says Ava. She raises her own glass though. “To Legends. As you correctly pointed out, nine is indeed more than five.”

Sara snickers for a second, lowering her glass before meeting Ava’s eye. “While that may be true, only one of us is directly responsible for a nomination. To you.”

Ava doesn’t try to hide the smile tugging at her lips. “A compromise. To us.” She reaches her glass across the table, wondering if she’s gone too far as she watches Sara raise an eyebrow. There is, after all, no us outside the socials and their newfound nighttime activities. “I mean, to us as great rivals who push one another to be better.”

Sara meets their glasses with a soft clink. “To us.”

They each take a sip of their drinks and smile. Ava lowers her eyes to her menu again, trying not to think about the way Sara’s looking at her. Ava cannot, after all, reach across the table and pull Sara onto it, leaning forward to kiss her while cupping her breast through that beautifully tight dress. She can settle for holding Sara’s hand though.

“I really do think you’ve done a wonderful job.”

Sara’s words pull Ava’s gaze up and Ava wonders, not for the first time tonight, if Sara would agree to spend the night at her apartment. She realizes, after a second, that Sara must be waiting for a reply. “I, uh, thank you.” She clears her throat. “I really do think it’s at least partially down to our interactions.”

Sara shrugs. “Nah. You’d still be killing it if I weren’t around.”

Ava takes another sip of her drink before responding. “Even so, I’d rather do this with you.”

Ava can’t ignore the way Sara’s lips quirk up at that, her dimples showing. “Me too.”

Normally Ava isn’t this nervous. Not after she’s slept with someone and has been in their apartment and knows how they take their coffee. But still, this time, on this date, she feels like she can’t sit right. She watches Sara carefully, and they’re halfway through their meal before she realizes the reason for her nerves. She wants Sara to like her. Not in a fleeting she’s a good lay way, but in a potentially long term and steady way. Their lack of discussion, the rift that exists between the two companies they work for, make Ava nervous. And she doesn’t know how to bring this up. Instead she talks about working for the Parks Department, a job that Sara clearly expects to be far more boring than running a gaming company’s socials. Ava is all too happy to provide stories of people who ran from tigers and left out food for bears, intentionally, to prove Sara wrong.

“So,” Sara says, “how’s Rip?”

Ava is surprised by the question. They’re expecting the waiter to come and offer dessert options soon, and they’ve yet to touch upon work at all. “Rip Hunter? Oh, he’s fine.”

“I miss working with him,” Sara says. She drums a finger on the table. “Do you like him?”

“He seems nice. I don’t work with him one-on-one much though.” She leans forward. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

Sara shrugs. “Once he left Legends the respect between us and TBG disappeared. He and I talked for a bit but it wasn’t tenable.”

“That’s bullshit.” Ava crosses her arms. “Employers can’t control your friendships.”

“It wasn’t that they tried to control us,” says Sara. “I guess suddenly we couldn’t talk about work. He took a position with more responsibility than he held at Legends and I got promoted, so it became, I don’t know, hard to stay in touch.”

Ava takes a sip of her third drink. “That’s understandable.”

“Maybe I’ll reach out to him again.” Sara takes Ava’s hand again. “Do you want dessert?”

Ava flips her hand over so she can twine their fingers together. “Nothing they offer here.”

“Oh.” Sara smiles and glances up when Ava hears the waiter making his way over. “We’re gonna need the check please,” she says.

After they pay, finish their drinks, and choose a Lyft driver, Sara and Ava sit outside on a bench against the restaurant’s wall. Dusk builds around them, the low visibility making Ava feel like they’re separate from the people she can barely see strolling through the parking lot or sitting in cars.

Ava needs a plan. She wants to talk to Sara about what they’re doing. Her fingers pull and spin the rings on Sara’s right hand, held fast in Ava’s lap.

“Are you okay?” Sara’s question, soft and quiet, surprises Ava.

“Yes.” She rotates the thin ring on Sara’s pinky. “You?”

“Yup.” Sara turns her hand over and runs her fingers up Ava’s palm. “Just thinking.”

“What about?”

“This. Us.”

Ava turns to look at Sara. She feels like a nod is enough to encourage Sara, and maybe also let her know that her own thoughts aren’t far afield from Sara’s. Ava is glad that she doesn’t have to speak because her mouth is suddenly dry. She wishes they were still at the table with free refills of water, yet Ava also craves the intimacy of this moment, sitting together holding hands in the setting sun.

“I like you, Ava. And not just because you’re good in bed.”

Ava wants to laugh but can’t when she sees the earnest look in Sara’s eyes. Instead she nods again and licks her lips, hoping to somehow make her throat relearn how to work.

“I like spending time with you. Gaming with you. I imagine how you’ll respond to my posts and I love being able to sass you online. I even like when you send me pointless texts in the middle of the day.”

Ava leans towards Sara. “None of my texts are pointless.”

“Right. I forgot how much I need photos of your lunch.”

“Shut up.” Ava bites her bottom lip. “I like all that too.” She curls her fingers around Sara’s, which are still stroking Ava’s palm.

“I feel like you get what I’m saying,” says Sara.

Ava thinks she does. She knows Sara likes her physically and that their banter is a huge turn on for both of them. She also knows that, were this a conversation she overheard, she’d tell both people that they are clearly into each other and to acknowledge their feelings like adults. But Sara’s playing coy and Ava wants to know how far she’ll push that behavior. “No,” says Ava. “I’m not sure I do.”

“You’re really gonna make me say it?” Sara looks like she can’t believe Ava can be so cruel, but at the last word she gives the ghost of a smile.

“Yes.”

“Fine. I like you and want to be your girlfriend.”

That was easier than Ava expected. “Really?”

Sara pulls Ava’s hand up for a kiss. “Really.”

Honk! The noise makes both women jump on the bench. Sara is the first one to stand “That must be our ride,” she says. She waves to the driver in acknowledgement before looking at Ava again. “Can we continue this conversation at my place?”

“We don’t have to,” says Ava as she stands up. “I want to be your girlfriend too.”

“Oh,” says Sara. She’s smiling now, gripping Ava’s arm with both hands as they walk forward.

Ava smiles. “And, just so you know, we’re going to my place tonight.”

“Really?” Sara says. They start walking to the car. “I like when you take charge, babe.”

**Sara:**

Sara’s mouse hovers over the trash can. _Delete_ pops up, hovering under the arrow. If she presses this button she can forget about the ceremony and get back to work. The problem is that she doesn’t want to forget. She wants to be there with Ava, cheering her on or offering comfort depending on the outcome of the award for Breakout Game. Sara knows it’s a ridiculous desire. She wouldn’t be able to sit near Ava, and Ava understands that Sara doesn’t want her name to be at all associated with Legends.

Attending the Immersive Media and Gaming Awards would be trading her anonymity for the ability to be in the room with Ava, not to be near her or to truly support her. That cannot be enough of a trade-off, yet Sara doesn’t press delete.

Sara wishes she had more time. Although the event itself is a month away the deadline for RSVPing is in two days. The launch of the Arrowverse updates is tomorrow. Sara shouldn’t be distracted, not when she needs to prep for that drop, release a support campaign for the IMGA nominations that Legends received, and focus on the myriad of other responsibilities that come with her job. She hasn’t gone through her analytics recently either.

With a sigh Sara shoves her chair away from her desk and stands. She pauses, leans forward, and locks her computer. Her coworkers aren’t malicious, but she can imagine Jax or Wally seeing the invite on her screen and deciding to accept for her as a joke, and honestly she’d rather not have to murder them today.

Sara has been spending more time in the Legends building these days. Anytime she stays over with Ava she at least stops by in the morning because the building is on the way to her apartment. Dropping by gives her a chance to see Gideon and Zari, and if she’s honest it helps her feel a bit more in sync with the other Legends employees too.

“Gideon.” Sara knocks lightly on the door frame before she walks into the room. Gideon looks up and smiles.

“Sara, good morning. There aren’t any meetings that would benefit you today, what are you doing here?” Gideon’s asked a variation of this question every day Sara unexpectedly comes in. Gideon glances at her computer, probably at her work calendar. “For the third day in a row?”

Sara lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I’ve been feeling a little stir crazy at home.”

Gideon raises an eyebrow at Sara before looking at her monitors again. “Sure you have.” Sara wonders if Gideon suspects that she’s not staying at her apartment, or if she thinks Sara’s cloaking herself in work to avoid thinking about Ava. If she pressed Gideon for a theory, what would her response be? Instead Sara leans against Gideon’s desk.

“What are you working on?”

“Scheduling some demos and tournaments for the next couple months. Starting tomorrow I’m on the road for the Arrowverse’s expansion, so I’m trying to get ahead a bit.”

“Cool.” Sara rubs a hand against the edge of the desk. “Have you, you know, RSVP’d to that event coming up?”

“What event?” Gideon starts typing, clearly half-listening.

Play it cool, Sara thinks. “That awards thing, IGM-whatever?”

Gideon’s fingers stop. “IMGA? I go every year. We can bring upwards of fifteen employees.”

“Is it fun?”

“Sara.” Gideon sits back in her chair and puts her hands behind her head. “You have never asked about any of the awards ceremonies I’ve gone to. You don’t even talk to me about conferences that are open to the press.”

Sara tugs at her shirtsleeve. “I’m just curious.”

“About what?” Gideon starts typing again. “Everyone mingles until the start, then we all sit and watch people accept their awards with various degrees of enthusiasm. Sometimes we win.”

“Hmm.” Sara shifts to pull the chair in the corner of Gideon’s office so she can sit down. “So you don’t have fun?”

Gideon chuckles. “Of course I have fun, I love watching people make fools of themselves.” There’s a moment where she slows her typing. “By the time the final awards are presented everyone’s shitfaced.”

Sara grins. “That certainly makes it sound interesting.”

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t be one of the drunken fools, Lance.” Gideon sighs. “It’s too bad you never go, Zari and I could use more intoxicated Sara stories.”

“I think you have enough,” says Sara.

“Never.” Gideon grins over at Sara, then the grin becomes a look. “Why are you asking?”

“I told you, I’m curious.”

“Me too. Is a certain social media manager going?”

“I don’t know.” Sara says the words too quickly and rubs a hand on her pants. Tells if she’s ever given any.

“Yes you do.” There’s a stress ball with Arrowverse on Gideon’s desk, a freebie that was distributed when the game first came out. Gideon keeps it specifically for moments like this. Sara ducks the throw and shakes her head.

“So mature. And I really don’t know,” she lies.

Gideon looks back at her monitor but doesn’t start typing. “Fine. What else are you curious about?”

Gideon says that word curious like it’s heavy with meaning. Sara could tell her. She could say that she and Ava are together, and that Sara wants to show her support. That Sara thinks Ava is smart and determined and deserving of recognition. Instead she doesn’t say anything. This relationship isn’t hers to discuss without talking to Ava first. They’re a team, and Sara knows that telling Gideon would be a kind of betrayal. Especially because both Gideon and Zari are far too suspicious.

“We don’t sit with TBG,” Gideon says after a while. She opens a drawer and pulls out a pile of papers. “I think you should go though. It’s fun and I can tell you want to be there.”

Sara tries not to smile at the back of Gideon’s monitor.

“Talk to Ava,” Gideon says. “Don’t make this decision alone. But be careful about when the Darhks find out. There’s protocol about disclosing industry relationships for a reason.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you're all doing well. If you're in the US and protesting please be safe. Wear a mask, keep distance if you can, stay hydrated, know that you are loved and what you're doing is fucking important.
> 
> And, as base as this comment seems, thanks for reading.
> 
> Best,  
> Erin


	23. Discussions, Round 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re interested in her.”
> 
> Ava crosses her arms, hoping to seem put off. “I’m simply curious about the person who is so rude to me on the socials.”
> 
> Rip shrugs. “It’s a shame you’ll never meet because I’m certain that the two of you would get on wonderfully.”
> 
> Ava can’t help it, she leans forward. “We would?"
> 
> \-------
> 
> Sara pauses. “Which do you want to talk about first: What I’m nervous about or something 2213-related?”
> 
> OR
> 
> Ava and Rip have a chat, then Sara and Ava also have a chat.

**Ava:**

Sara never goes to public Legends events. Ava knows this, has known it since she tried to research Sara. Yet she can’t help pulling up her invitation and sighing like a teenager over the fact that Sara won’t be there.

Grow up, Ava tells herself.

If Sara, through some poor decision making, does show up Ava knows they couldn’t sit together. Legends and TBG are rivals, and Gary told Ava that the event planners hadn't sat them near one another since Rip left. That bit of info didn’t require any digging, what with Gary’s excitement causing him to blab about the event for hours. She also knows who TB Gaming sat near for the last three years, not that she cares.

And if Sara does show Ava knows that they can’t act like a couple. Ava doesn’t want to sit across a room and occasionally steal glances while hoping that no one working for either company takes notice. She hasn’t had to hide her emotions before and, if she’s being honest with herself, she’s not certain that she’d be able to do so when Sara would be dressed for an awards ceremony.

For the second time in a number of weeks Ava wishes she had someone to confide in, a person who could give her advice and help her feel settled in her desires and her decisions.

Gary is not an option this time. Although he knows that Ava likes someone in the industry, he is excitable and a bit of a talker. Although she’s fairly certain that he’s kept quiet about the vague feelings she’s shared with him, she doesn’t think she can trust him with specifics. The way he’s been talking about the IMGAs has shown that he’s the kind of guy where things slip out. And if the name Sara Lance slips out to the wrong person Ava is afraid she could lose her job. Especially if he told Rip.

Ava jerks her head up at the thought of that name. Rip Hunter, the only person who knows both Sara and Ava. He’s clearly the wrong person to talk about all of this, he’s too much her, uh, boss. On the other hand he does know the rules and expectations of TB Gaming better than anyone else that Ava interacts with regularly. He’s been with the company for a number of years and would have a good feel for how Heywood would react to something like this. Perhaps Ava can ask about dating outside the company and leave the Legends of the issue out of it. Ava can hide who she’s talking about and the fact that the relationship is already happening, surely. Ava tells herself that this is a good idea as she leaves her desk.

Rips’s door is open, like usual. Ava stops at the threshold and knocks, waiting until Rip looks up and nods for her to enter.

“Hi,” Ava says. She steps to his desk and stops, eyeing the two chairs he has set up for visitors. Will this be a long sit-down conversation? Ava sits in the chair closer to the door.

“Miss Sharpe,” Rip says.

“Hi, Rip.” Ava already said hi. She feels herself warm with nerves as she folds her hands together in her lap.

“Our brilliant IMGA nomine.” Rip looks at her like she’s the sole reason they’re getting any recognition.

“We’re all nominated together,” Ava says. “I’m grateful to be brought along.” Sara is right about Rip’s thoughts on the Breatkout nomination.

Rip turns from his monitors and keyboard, attached to his laptop, and looks at her with a question in his expression. “You deserve to come. The work you’ve done for 2213’s launch has been impeccable. Are you nervous?”

“Thank you.” Ava shifts in her chair, not uncomfortable with the praise but wanting to get to her actual questions. She has to answer his question though. “I’m mostly curious about the event.”

“I can help there,” says Rip. “We talk to other creators and the press a bit. Sit down and watch others get awards. There isn’t food available but there is a cash bar, although we each get two free drink tickets to start us off.”

Ava smiles. Nothing would go wrong if she were to drink in the same room as Sara in front of both of their bosses, her sarcastic traitorous brain thinks. Maybe she should be glad that Sara’s not going to be there.

“Is there anyone you’re interested in meeting?”

Oh. Ava can’t say Sara Lance, it would be too obvious. Maybe she can ask about a different Legends employee, gauge how Rip feels about them today. “Jefferson Jackson,” she says. “I’ve always admired his illustrations and would like to talk to him about some of the artistic work I’ve discussed with Gary here.”

“Oh, Jax.” Rip seems conflicted as he scratches his chin. “You may have heard that I once worked for Legends.”

Not from anyone here, thinks Ava. “No, I haven’t.”

“It was a number of years ago. I was a marketing analyst, but they couldn’t offer me a promotion. TBG could. The job was good there, and honestly I still sometimes miss it.”

That lines up, although she’s surprised that Rip is speaking so candidly about his time there. And he doesn’t seem to hate Legends. “You don’t like TBG?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Rip shifts in his chair as he thinks. “I miss the people. They’re the kind of disorganized chaos that you might not expect to work, but somehow they do. And many of them seem ill-suited to their work until you look at what they’re producing. Mick Rory, for example, seems like the last person to be a writer.”

“But his work-”

“Exactly, he’s a great writer. And Ray Palmer is as excitable about his work as a child but when faced with a problem he can focus for hours. And don’t get me started on Sara Lance.”

Ava needs to not smile. She rubs at her cheek to mask the tug at her lips. “Who?”

“Your counterpart at Legends. I’m surprised you don’t want to meet her.”

Ava sits up a bit in her seat. If she’d never met Sara, if they’d only interacted on the socials, she would be curious. She needs to show that now. “I do. Want to meet her, I mean.” Ava glances down at her hands before looking at Rip again. “What’s she like?”

Rip shakes his head. “She’s fiery, you know that from her posts. She’s a good friend and an even better employee. And-” Rip pauses and quirks his head towards Ava. “You already know that don’t you?”

Ava sits up a bit straighter in her chair. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re interested in her.”

Ava crosses her arms, hoping to seem put off. “I’m simply curious about the person who is so rude to me on the socials.”

Rip shrugs. “It’s a shame you’ll never meet because I’m certain that the two of you would get on wonderfully.”

Ava can’t help it, she leans forward. “We would?”

“Yes, I’ve no doubt. You’re both strong and confident, intelligent and determined. It’s a shame she refuses to attend awards ceremonies, really.”

“Refuses? Why?” Ava wants to know what Rip thinks of Sara. She somehow feels like it’ll make their relationship more real, more tangible. These aren’t the questions that she came in to ask, and Ava begins tapping a foot in rhythm as she realizes how far off the plan they’ve gotten.

Something shows in Rip’s eyes and Ava wonders if she’s somehow given herself away. “Have you been in direct contact with her?” asks Rip.

“We’ve talked,” admits Ava.

Rip is silent, watching Ava as though expecting more. He reaches forward and takes a sip of water from a reusable bottle he has next to one of his monitors. “You’ve talked,” he finally says.

Ava nods. “It isn’t, she’s…” She fumbles for something to say, a way to explain what’s between them without giving more away. She doesn’t talk to any of the other competitors outside the socials, and Rip knows that. “She’s fun,” Ava says. “Funny.”

“That she is.” Rip puts his water bottle down and looks at Ava. He’s wearing a look that Ava can’t place. Maybe he has a scheme in mind or a fully formed idea of the types of messages she and Sara exchange. As though he can see into Ava’s mind and spot her hope that Sara will come to the ceremony. The possibility of him planning something worries Ava.

“I have to go,” says Ava. She suddenly stands up, shoving the chair back as she straightens her knees. “I have-” He knows what work she has to complete and he can check the socials to see what she has scheduled. “A surprised live-stream. Arrowverse.”

Rip shifts his hands back to his keyboard “Which platform?”

“Twitch.”

Rip nods and begins typing again, dismissing her. Ava steps towards the door and, before she opens it, pauses. “Thank you, Rip. I’m looking forward to the ceremony.”

Rip smiles in a wistful way. “Aren’t we all, Miss Sharpe.”

Ava cannot ask Rip about dating someone who works in the industry. Part of her thinks that she can never ask him about anything ever again.

**Sara:**

“So many noobs.” Sara launches her character, the one that looks sort of like her and wears camo, from a barrel onto a tall male avatar holding a machete. She has her character stab him in the eye before rolling off him as he falls.

“Dude, are you freaking kidding me?” The new voice belongs to the player whose character she just killed. “That was badass!”

“You’re welcome,” says Sara. She smiles when she hears the distorted voice that Ava uses laugh.

“And you’re a chick?” The guy pauses. “Date me.”

“Sorry,” says Ava. “She’s taken.”

Before the gamer can reply his mic clicks off and Sara starts to laugh. “Oh my god.” Sara manages to get those three words out among her laughter. “Ava.”

“What, too far?” Ava moves her own character, the version of Lexa with customized clothing that Sara remembers from the night she almost got caught playing 2213 pre-release.

“No.” Sara steadies her breathing and mostly stops laughing. “I can imagine his face after you said that though and I’m dying.”

“You’re so dramatic.” Ava turns Lexa in a circle, watching all of the characters around them run forward and back, swinging their various weapons without the ease of long practice. “Why’d you kill him?”

Sara shrugs even though she knows Ava can’t see. “Why not?”

Ava chuckles. “If there were fewer people here I’d suggest we try a mission that’s been giving me trouble for a while now.”

The one with the munitions transport, Sara thinks. “Oh?” She pauses the game on her screen for a second, watching Ava smack down a female character drawing a sword on Sara. “Can I call you?”

Asking to call means that Sara doesn’t want to be overheard by anonymous gamers. She smiles when Ava’s character disappears and her phone starts ringing. Sara leaves the game before answering.

“Yes? Who’s this?” Sara smirks as she hears Ava breathe out.

“Someone long suffering.” Ava is smiling, Sara can hear it. “Someone who deals with too much crap from you.”

“What’s up Aves?” Sara leans back on her couch, closing her eyes because she wants to focus on the sound of Ava’s voice and imagine that they’re sitting next to one another.

“You’re the one who wanted to talk over the phone,” says Ava. “Goofball.”

“Oh, right.” Sara pauses. “Which do you want to talk about first: What I’m nervous about or something 2213-related?”

“Hmm.” Sara hears Ava take a sip of something.

“You’re not drinking coffee?” Sara lowers her phone to check the time. Yup, 7:38pm.

“-coffee! It’s water.” Checking her phone broke off the first part of Ava’s sentence.

“Thank god you’re not one of those people who likes drinking coffee at night,” Sara says.

“What if I was?”

I’d get used to it, Sara thinks. “We’d have to break up.”

Sara hears Ava take another sip, practically a slurp this time. “Yup, it’s still water. We’re good.”

“Thank god.” Sara lets a pause hang before continuing. “So which topic do you pick?”

“Nervous, I guess.”

Sara swallows. “Right.”

“Should I be nervous?”

“No.” Sara says the word quickly, wanting to be reassuring but certain that she comes across as, well, anxious. “It’s not about you or, you know, us.”

“Ok.”

“Did you RSVP to the IMGA thing?”

There’s a pause. Sara can hear Ava’s breath. “Yes Isn’t the deadline today?”

“I don’t know.” Sara does know. Her chance will be gone by midnight. “Yeah.”

“So…” Ava draws out the word, then lets a moment hang. “You can talk to me, Sara. That’s part of this, of being together.”

“I know.” Sara squishes her eyes shut, like if she hides her eyes Ava can’t see the truth in her words. She knows that tactic wouldn’t work even if they were on the same couch. “I think I want to go.” With you, she thinks. For you.

Ava doesn’t respond. Sara knows she’s made a mistake because Ava would yell or cry out if she were happy.

“Aves?”

“Sorry. Uh, why?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well.” Ava clears her throat. “You’ve told me that you don’t go to those sort of events. And I know you don’t want your name to be associated with Legends.”

“True,” says Sara. “If I did go, though, how would you feel?”

“I don’t want to answer that.” Ava’s got an edge to her voice. Not like she’s angry, but as though she’s holding onto something that Sara can’t see.

“Why not?”

“If you decide to go it shouldn’t be based on me. It should be your choice.”

“Hmm,” says Sara. She breathes in as though trying to fill her lungs completely. “So the 2213 thing.” She waits to see if Ava will try to switch back to the other topic and feels a sense of relief when Ava stays quiet. Expectant. “You know I’ve had the game for a while. I tried out the multiplayer once, before it dropped.”

Ava chuckles and Sara opens her eyes. She can imagine Ava lowering her gaze with the sound, her cheeks pulling into a smile.

“Why are you laughing?” Sara pulls her laptop from the couch onto her lap as she speaks.

“You couldn’t wait,” says Ava.

Sara groans. “I was bored. It was a weekend night so I figured TBG people would be out being social or something, but I spawned next to you.”

“Whoa,” Ava says. “How did I miss that?”

“You left your character to do something IRL,” says Sara. Sara opens her email, pulling up the invite. “I hid until your character started moving, then I followed you. So I think I know what mission you want to have us try.”

“Yes?” There’s a dare in the words, as though Ava expects Sara to be wrong.

“The transportation one where you have to kill a bunch of guards.”

Ava makes a surprised noise, somewhere between a chuckle and a squeek. “You’re right.”

“Want to try it tomorrow morning?”

“One hundred percent, Sara.”

“Great.” Sara’s mouse hovers over the word _RSVP._ “I’m going to do it.”

“Game with me tomorrow at the asscrack of dawn?”

“No. Yes, but I mean I’m going to go too.”

Ava sighs. “You don’t have to.”

Sara wants to click on the link. “Would you like for me to be there?”

There’s a moment where Sara can’t hear anything through the phone, not even Ava’s breath. “Yes.”

Sara presses the button and marks herself down as a yes. She smiles as the screen loads into a page thanking her for letting IMGA know. “I just RSVP’d,” Sara says.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Sara closes her laptop and shoves it onto the couch next to her.

“I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that Rip is suspicious.”

Sara snorts, then smiles when she hears Ava muffle a responding chuckle. “Of course he is. That guy is way too perceptive. I suppose we’re even then.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know those friends I‘ve told you about, Gideon and Zari?”

“Yeah?”

“They’re suspicious too.”

“How? They’ve never even met me!”

Sara shrugs before she responds verbally. “They know me. They’ve seen me when I get a text from you, they came over after we gamed together and noticed that I had food stuff for two people and two controllers out.”

“I told you I could have helped you clean up after breakfast,” Ava says.

Sara smiles at the reused joke between them. Ava doesn’t sound mad, and although Sara feels like this could be terrible for both of their careers, she’s sort of relieved that people know.

“Sara?”

“Ava?”

“I’m excited to meet you at the awards ceremony.”

Sara sighs. “Me too, babe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm sorry about the delay between posts - I've been having some trouble focusing lately. I'll try to be better.
> 
> I hope you all are safe and well. Thanks, as always, for sharing your thoughts in the comments and for sticking with this story.
> 
> <3  
> Erin


	24. Dressing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara takes a step into Ava’s space, leaning towards her with a look that Ava can imagine meeting her eyes in bed. Ava should take a step back. Instead she lifts a hand to within an inch of Sara’s mouth.
> 
> “Stop.” Ava presses her finger against Sara’s mouth. “We’re in public.”
> 
> \-------
> 
> Zari...passes the phone to Gideon, who reaches out to take a selfie. Sara can feel Zari duck down to roughly Sara’s height and one of her earrings, a metal version of the creed for League of Assassins, brush Sara’s cheek. Sara grins and throws up a peace sign seconds before the phone makes that camera shutter sound.
> 
> OR
> 
> Shopping is rewarding.

**Ava:**

“I still like the red one.” Zari stops walking and puts her hands on her hips. “But really get whatever you want Sara. I’ll be over there.”

Ava watches Zari turn and head towards the Cinnabon stand. She’d met Sara’s friends an hour earlier when they’d all met up to try and find outfits for the IMGAs. Ava and Sara planned this practical date a week earlier, and Sara had said she couldn’t think of a way to decline Gideon’s and Zari’s offer to shop together on the same day. Ava knows that Sara wanted Ava to meet her friends, and honestly Ava is excited to be seeing Sara interact with Zari and Gideon. They are all sarcastic, but not with the same type of tension that exists between her and Sara. And Gideon is great at giving honest yet carefully flattering feedback on various outfits.

“You only like the red one ‘cause that’s your favorite color!” Sara waves a hand at Zari’s retreating form, clad in a black and red flannel.

Ava watches Gideon laugh, turning to follow Zari. When Gideon is out of earshot Ava leans towards Sara. “What’s the deal there?”

“What?” Sara’s looking at the options in the food court around them.

“Gideon and Zari.” Ava glances at the food vendors. “I’m not really hungry yet.”

“Me neither. We can split something if they want to eat now, if you’d like.” Sara glances over to the Cinnabon and Ava figures she’s gauging how long they have alone. “They’re best friends. Gid’s asexual and Z seems pretty happy to be single most of the time.”

Ava chuckles. “Relatable.”

Sara meets Ava’s glance with a raised eyebrow. “You’re not asexual.”

“No, being a happy single. That was me, until recently.” And it’s true. Ava’s dated, but she’s always felt best when single. She likes the freedom of deciding who to spend some time with and how far to take things. She likes coming home to her own space and knowing that the choices she makes belong to no one else. She’s wondered, in the past, if she’d ever feel the desire to settle down. But now, months into first conversing with Sara over socials, she feels that wonder fading. It’s too soon to think about being with Sara for any length of time, but the possibility no longer makes her want to run.

Sara smiles. “A glad change, I hope?” Ava watches Sara run a finger up Ava’s arm, subtle as they stand next to one another.

“Eh.” Ava turns away and smiles at the nearest vendor, selling slices of pizza. “I don’t know. The girl I’m with is okay.”

“Just okay?” Sara takes a step into Ava’s space, leaning towards her with a look that Ava can imagine meeting her eyes in bed. Ava should take a step back. Instead she lifts a hand to within an inch of Sara’s mouth.

“Stop.” Ava presses her finger against Sara’s mouth. “We’re in public.”

“I will. When you admit that I’m more than okay.” Sara speaks the words against Ava’s skin and Ava wonders, for a moment, if moving her hand to kiss Sara would be worth blowing their cover of friendship.

“You think they know?” Ava’s question is low as she puts her hand down, not bothering to look around for Zari and Gideon.

“Yeah, probably.” Sara steps back “I haven’t confirmed though.”

“Yes you have.” Zari is standing feet away, clutching a cinnabon with two missing bites while watching Sara and Ava shuffle a step away from one another. Gideon is at Zari’s elbow, looking not at all surprised.

“I thought you were keeping a lookout,” says Sara. She seems to be filled with a panicked humor, the kind that comes with being caught out, so Ava doesn’t bother defending herself. Instead she decides to play a game.

“I told you they’d figure it out,” she says. Ava rubs one hand against her jeans. “A socials collaboration between Legends and TBG would be really hard to-”

“That will never happen,” interrupts Gideon. She and Zari step closer.

“Oh?” Sara’s smirk tells Ava that she’s into playing with her friends a bit too. “How’s it feel to be wrong?”

“Knock it off,” Zari says. She uses her free hand to gesture between Sara and Ava. “Are you dating or just fooling around?”

Ava coughs at the blunt question. “Neither,” she lies.

Sara glances at Ava and shakes her head.

“There it is!” Gideon sounds triumphant. “They’re doing something, without a doubt.”

“Ok fine.” Sara glances at Ava again, who gives her a sigh that she knows Sara will read as over the top. “We’re dating. Are you happy?”

“Immensely.”

While Gideon says the word Zari squeeks, something high and unexpected. She steps towards Sara and raises a hand for a high five. Ava would have expected them to hug, but maybe their friendship isn’t that type of intimate. After the movement Zari steps back and looks at Sara, then Ava. “About damn time. I thought I’d have to hack Sara’s DMs and pretend to be her asking you out.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” says Sara, voice low.

Zari doesn’t say anything, and for a second Ava can’t read her. Finally Zari shrugs.

“She would,” says Gideon.

“Anyway.” Ava puts a hand to Sara’s arm, a gesture that’s become automatic and one she caught herself almost doing twice before this conversation. This time she lets it happen. “Are we getting food?”

“I’d prefer to wait,” says Gideon. 

“I’m not hungry yet either,” says Sara. Ava nods

“This one just can’t say no to sugar.” Gideon points at Zari with her thumb.

“Shut up,” says Zari. She takes a bite of her cinnabon before turning away from the rest of the group. “Let’s continue shopping then.”

Gideon steps between Sara and Ava, breaking Ava’s contact with Sara’s arm to hook them both and drag them after Zari. “But you two cannot see one another’s outfits anymore. I want you to be surprised on Saturday.”

Ava shakes her head. “It’s not a-”

“You need to seem like you don’t know one another,” Gideon says, talking over Ava. “If you don’t know what to expect you might seem surprised.”

It’s a good point, Ava thinks. She glances over at Sara and sees that she’s thinking the same thing. “Fine,” relents Ava.

Zari turns over her shoulder. “Good. Gid will help Ava.”

Ava bristles. “I don’t need help.”

“Sure pantsuit.” Zari waves the cinnabon back towards Ava, gesturing at her slacks and button down shirt.

“She’s not wearing a jacket,” says Sara. Ava glances over and sees a defensive look on her girlfriend’s face. She wants to shove Gideon forward and wrap her arm around Sara’s waist. “I like it.”

“Of course you do.” Gideon doesn’t roll her eyes but Ava can feel the action under her words.

Ava follows Gideon dutifully to the racks of dresses that would be appropriate for an event like the IMGAs. She waits as Gideon pulls out dresses that Ava would normally shy away from and flops them over Ava’s outstretched arm.

“If you’re not comfortable with anything let me know,” Gideon says. “I do ask that you try everything on before shaking your head like that.” Ava stops the motion as she stares at the most recent dress, a ruffled thing with silver lines throughout the black material.

Ava sighs. “Fine.”

Twenty five minutes later Ava pulls a gold dress up her hips, the fourth she’s tried on in this dressing room. She looks in the mirror to study the material, at times shimmering and others dropping into a darker hue depending on the light. She smiles, thinking this might be a contender.

“Sharpe!” Gideon grins as Ava steps into the narrow hall. She takes Ava’s hand and spins her in a slow circle, and Ava wonders if Gideon means the dress looks sharp or is saying Ava’s last name. “This is it.”

“You think so?” Ava glances down at the material again and smiles at the garment. When she looks up again she smiles at Gideon’s black dress. “You look good too.”

“Focus,” says Gideon. “Your look first. What do you think?”

“It’s pretty,” says Ava. She wants to say that she’s never thought about wearing something like this, that it’s a bit too showy and a lot too sexy, but she has an image in her mind of Sara’s face if she does show up in this dress. The image holds her mouth closed.

“Is it comfortable?”

Ava considers. The material is tight, but it’s not itchy or stiff. She shifts a bit, trying to judge whether she would hate it after an hour. An impossible judgement, really. “I think so,” she says.

“Great!”

Ava looks over Gideon’s shoulder to the mirror. She can imagine herself with this outfit on a stage with her coworkers. “I think this is the one,” she says.

“We’ll have to nerd it up a bit, but I agree.” Gideon steps back so she can lean her shoulder into Ava’s for a second. “Sara will love it.”

Ava drops her eyes to her feet, shoeless, and scrunches her toes. She wants to say she hopes so but doesn’t want Gideon to know more than she’s already deduced about their relationship. She fails.

“You really like her, don’t you?”

Ava glances at the mirror again, taking a beat to truly take in Gideon’s simple and sophisticated dress. “You really do look great,” Ava says. “Do you think you’ll get that one?”

**Sara:**

Zari won. Sara adjusts the strap of her red dress, sighing as she looks in the mirror that Zari has against her bedroom wall.

“Are you set?” Zari sticks her head into the room before Sara can reply. “Ava’s gonna love it.”

Sara sighs again. “How would you know? You met her once.”

“And in that one meeting we became lifelong friends.” Zari shakes her head. “Come on, you look great. No one would think anything different.”

“Especially once I put the finishing touches on your makeup.” Gideon leans into the room and gestures to Sara. “Get out here.”

The living room is set up like a bathroom counter, various makeups, skincare products, and hair stuff spread over the coffee table. “Sit down,” Gideon directs. Sara sits in the chair she vacated before getting dressed. “I think you need a little something else in your eye shadow.”

Sara leans towards Gideon and closes her eyes, not bothering to look at what Gideon is holding. Sara knows she can trust Gideon to make her look flawless enough to go to an awards show without going overboard.

“There.” Gideon leans back as Zari kneels down to look too.

“That’s perfect,” agrees Zari. She holds up a mirror so Sara can see, and Sara opens her mouth in surprise. The light blue shadow that Gideon applied earlier is now complimented by a gold shimmer, a combination that somehow works.

“Thanks,” says Sara as Gideon waves Sara’s gratitude away.

“Just tell me if I need to fix my own makeup throughout the night and we’re even.” Gideon takes the mirror from Zari and turns it towards herself, looking over her reflection before putting it down again.

“I think we’re about ready,” says Zari. She looks to Sara again as Sara reaches for a brand new pair of Chucks that match her dress. “Are you sure you don’t want to take your car so you can leave with Ava? We can catch rides with Jax or Wally on the way back.”

“No,” says Sara. Again. The support Z and Gid have shown for her relationship is great, but asking the same question five times is a bit much. “And I’m sure.”

Before they head out the door Zari pulls them all to a stop and grabs her phone. She makes them line up and passes the phone to Gideon, who reaches out to take a selfie. Sara can feel Zari duck down to roughly Sara’s height and one of her earrings, a metal version of the creed for League of Assassins, brush Sara’s cheek. Sara grins and throws up a peace sign seconds before the phone makes that camera shutter sound.

“Perfect,” says Zari! She grabs her phone and glances at the photo, then shoves it into her pocket. “I’ll drive.”

The theater is huge, with towering architecture and plush red seats set in three sections. There are even breaks within each section, walking aisles that lead to each of the six exit options. Sara would bet that there’s enough seating for at least three thousand people, and she thinks for a second that such massive space must be overkill. That thought leaves her mind when she starts looking at the crowd, noticing that even though they’re about a half hour early the room is already beginning to feel full. Sara follows Gideon and Zari towards the seating chart at the entrance but stops when she sees Ray waving from across the room.

“Guys,” says Sara. She waves back at Ray as she changes direction, heading to the coder instead of the seating chart. Ray will already have their seating assignments plotted out.

“Sara!” Ray pulls Sara into a hug. His sport coat is over a polo and Sara thinks that it’s unfair that the standard of dress for men and women at events like this is so damn different, even among gamers. At least women can get away with wearing comfy shoes tonight.

“Gideon, Zari!” Ray smiles in that excitable way he has, genuine and good natured with a side of innocence rolled into one as he looks at Sara’s best friends.

“Hey,” Sara says. She looks around to find that he’s standing with several other Legends coders, programmers and developers. “How’s it going?”

“Great! I can’t believe you’re here.” He looks at Zari and Gideon. “She is here, right? I’m not hallucinating?”

“Ray.” Sara reaches over and smacks his arm playfully.

“Nope, she’s here.” Zari smirks as Ray rubs his arm in mock indignation.

“Where are we sitting?” Gideon looks around Ray and smiles at the group of Legends employees, waving.

“There,” says Ray. He gestures towards the stage and Sara feels for a moment like her heartbeat has increased. “Near the stage.”

“Near the-” Sara stops talking as a flash makes her jump. She turns to see a photojournalist standing a bit away, camera still raised to his eye as he sets up another shot.

“Legends!” A reporter steps forward after the camera flashes again and smiles. “Helena Miller, Console Control. Can I ask you some questions?”

“Sure,” says Ray. He turns his smile to the woman, who comes up maybe to Ray’s chest. She smiles back in a way that tells Sara that she and Ray have done this before.

“Thank you. First, I want to compliment you all on those wonderful updates from a few weeks back. Ray, were you responsible for those outfits and weapons?”

“Well, no, it was a team effort.” Ray waves to the group behind him with another smile. “I helped our head programmer, Martin, and our illustrator, Jax, come up with the concepts, but the effort was shared by all.”

“Great.” Without pause she nods to the photographer. “Can I get a photo of all of you please?”

“All the Legends employees?” Sara asks the question before she can stop herself, realizing a half second too late that she should have kept her mouth shut and stepped away from the photo op, letting the reporter assume she’s an outsider.

“Yes. And you are?” The reporter gives Sara a sly smile, like maybe she already knows. Sara feels a sudden urge to tell the truth, to see if the reporter does know. Her competitive edge is showing, but she also knows that everything will probably come out tonight anyway. She might as well have some fun.

“Sara Lance,” she says with her own matching smile. Equally sly.

“I don’t know that name.” The reporter looks at Ray, who in turn is watching Sara with a surprised lift to the edges of his smile.

“Sara’s my friend-” Ray starts, clearly trying to give Sara an out. Sara shakes her head slightly, still watching the reporter.

“I work for Legends,” she says. “In marketing.”

“Marketing?” The reporter looks down at the notepad she’s holding and Sara realizes she hasn’t written any of this down.

“S-A-R-A,” says Sara. “No H. Last name is Lance, like the thing used in jousting.”

“Okay.” The reporter scribbles for a second before looking back up, clearly trying to read Sara. “Marketing? I’ve met everyone in that department.”

“Clearly you haven’t,” says Sara. She can’t help smirking as Miller’s smile becomes confused, then hopeful.

“The only person I have yet to meet in your marketing department runs the socials.” Miller frowns. “I’ve been told that they’ll never make a public appearance.”

Sara doesn’t respond for a beat, letting the reporter stew in her confusion and hope.

“Sara, I don’t think you need to…” Zari trails off, clearly realizing that if she finishes that sentence the reporter will have confirmation of Sara’s identity. Sara thinks that if Miller is a good reporter than she already does.

“I do run the socials,” Sara says. She reaches into her clutch for her phone and pulls it out, taking a photo of the stunned reporter. She jumps to Twitter and types one sentence, throws in a hashtag, pulls up the pic, and raises an eyebrow at Miller. “Mind if I post the picture I just took?”

Miller opens her mouth, then closes it again. After a second she shakes her head. “No, that’s the perfect way to prove who you are.”

Sara lets her hovering finger hit Tweet without looking away from Miller. She watches the journalist pull out her phone and press some buttons.

“That feeling when you didn’t prep questions for someone who’s never shown up to one of these things before. Hashtag IMGA.” The tweet sounds flat in Miller’s voice, her words disbelieving.

“I’m not wrong, am I? You don’t have any questions for me?” Sara is leaning into this moment, feeling the joy of confusing a reporter while giving her a great scoop and the excitement of letting her veil slide off.

Miller looks up from her phone and eyes Sara, then Ray, then Zari and Gideon. “I, um, don’t. But I’m sure I can come up with some.”

Sara takes a step closer to Miller, her voice losing a bit of volume. “I’d come up with some fast,” she says. She looks aground the room beyond Miller to notice that quite a few of the other attendees have their phones out. “You won’t be the only one wanting to talk with me.”

“Well.” Miller swallows. “What made you want to come here tonight?”

“Curiosity,” says Sara, letting the word sound like the only truth on her tongue. “I’ve always been invited but this never felt like my scene. I’ve always been curious though, and this year it just got the best of me.”

The questions start off like that, coated in Miller’s surprise at the interview and mostly about what changed Sara’s mind about being in the spotlight. After the sixth question Sara wants the conversation to end. She glances around the room beyond Miller, taking in the crowd. There’s a flash of gold and then, suddenly, she sees Ava walk into the room. Sara’s girlfriend is surrounded by TB Gaming employees but Sara only just registers them. Instead her eyes are drawn to the way Ava’s dress fits, the shimmer and darkness wrapping around her like she’s meant to be adored.

“Miss Lance?” Sara notices that the reporter has followed her line of sight. The woman smiles. “Ah, your rivals. Have you met Ava Sharpe yet?”

Sara swallows and looks back at Miller. “No,” she lies. “Could you point her out?”

“You were just staring at her,” Miller says. “In that gold dress.”

“Oh.” Sara turns to Gideon, a helplessness filling her gut. There are no more words outside of the adoration she feels for Ava, nothing else to tell this reporter. At least nothing that feels important enough to reclaim that breath that Ava’s pulled from her lungs.

“I’m sure Sara will meet her at some point,” says Gideon. She reaches forward and grabs Sara’s hand, gives her a squeeze, and lets go. “It’s been lovely talking to you, Helena, but we should probably find our seats.”

The photographer catches Sara off guard at that moment, taking a picture of Sara standing, staring into space in an effort to avoid turning towards Ava.

Miller glances at her phone, then back at Sara as though Gideon hadn’t spoken. “Can I find you after all this for another interview?”

“No,” says Sara. She wants to look at Ava again. Really she wants to walk over to TBG’s group and dip the woman into a low kiss. Instead she forces herself to look at Miller. “If you have a card I can call you for a follow-up.”

“Of course.” Miller flips her notebook closed and pulls a card out her pocket. Sara slips it into her clutch. “Thank you, Miss Lance.”

Sara smiles but feels like even that’s a lie. “Thank you.”

As Miller walks away Sara turns to her friends, seeing a puffed up look of importance on Zari’s face, a tinge of surprise shading Gideon’s eyes, and thorough confusion draped over Ray’s optimism. The group behind Ray is split into several smaller groups, all talking amongst themselves. Sara realizes that she, Ray, Zari, and Gideon have become their own small group. “Should we sit down?”

“Of course,” says Ray. He gives himself a small shake before leading Sara towards the front of the room, waving or nodding to various creatives, some of whom Sara recognizes from closed conferences or websites. They go to the second row from the front and Sara wants to laugh at their proximity to the stage. Ray gestures for Sara to go down the row first and Sara almost refuses. She doesn’t want to sit next to a stranger at this event. But she sees the way Ray is watching her, wide eyes paired with a hopeful smile. With a sigh she shuffles between their chairs and the backs of those in front, grateful at least that no one in the row is sitting down yet. When Sara turns back to look at her group she sees that the Darhks have arrived and that Nora will be sitting next to Ray. She wants to chuckle but instead she hooks her clutch onto the arm of her chair, between herself and Zari. When Sara looks up again she sees that Nora is looking over at the group of TBG employees, a look of disinterest on her face. Better than hatred, Sara thinks.

Sara wants to talk to Ava, to make sure they meet tonight. If they do meet they can begin a relationship that is known about and approved by their employers. They can go places within the city without worrying about being caught out. If they don’t meet tonight, though, they’ll need to wait for another time to make their relationship seem organic.

Settled in her seat, Sara looks around when the lights in the theater are dimmed and then brightened, dimmed and then brightened. She wonders who will be sitting next to her as she takes in the stage. The background is silhouetted by what appears to be huge controllers and a keyboard. XBox One, PS4, Switch. The controllers each have a slight shimmer where the buttons would be, and the keyboard is outlined in that same material. On the side of the stage are pillars, grand and imposing and a bit odd with the controllers, but Sara thinks it works. The background is all dark mysteries and when the lights come back up it’s hard to see beyond the controller silhouettes. She wonders what type of lighting will be used once the ceremony begins. They could go very dramatic, she thinks.

“Oh my god,” a loud voice down the line of chairs calls out and Sara turns to see. One of the programmers, six seats away from Sara, is shaking his head. “We have to sit with them?”

Sara turns to follow his stare, eyes widening in surprise as she sees the group coming down the aisle towards them. Rip’s the closest person to Sara, set to sit next to her. Beyond him is Ava, then a man with black hair, glasses, and a kind of shocked expression that Sara suspects is his default setting. Sara swallows and turns to face forward again. That programmer is still yammering about how they’ve never had to sit with degenerates like TB Gaming before and that IMGA must have made a mistake.

“No mistake,” says Rip. He stops two chairs from Sara and smiles at her.

“Hi Rip,” Sara manages. She glances beyond him to Ava and looks back when she notices that Rip saw the look.

“Yes, well. Ava, if we could switch seats, this is someone I’d like you to meet.”

Ava nods, barely hiding her shock from Sara’s eyes before turning to Rip. “You seem to know her, are you sure?”

“Positive.” Rip steps around Ava then, who in turn moves to take the seat right next to Sara. Sara swallows as Ava sits, then smiles at her girlfriend.

“Hi,” Sara says. “I’m Sara Lance.” After a moment’s hesitation she holds out her hand, glancing over to see Rip watching them.

This is going to be a long night, Sara thinks. A long, wonderful night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! I did it! This morning this chapter wasn't written, but now it's done and it's posted. Whew.
> 
> I was like 5 chapters ahead, but honestly I've been feeling really dragged down lately. That said there are only 2 chapters left, so don't worry. I'll buckle down and get them done quickly.
> 
> Thanks, as always, for reading and commenting. I love your enthusiasm!


	25. The First Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank leans forward in his chair, extending his hand towards Sara. “Hank Heywood, TBG CEO. Who are you, to have my social media manager so enraptured?”
> 
> \-------
> 
> “...TB Gaming, with 2213, and Legends, with League of Assassins.”
> 
> There’s a hush over the crowd as the speaker, a screenwriter, finishes reading the nominations. Sara glances over at Ava, who’s sitting forward in her seat with her eyes glued on the presenter.
> 
> The moment sits in the air, heavy, and this time Sara knows that she wants Legends to win.
> 
> OR
> 
> Welcome to the IMGAs!

**Ava:**

Sara is trying to look at Ava like they’ve never met. Ava can tell by the way Sara’s smile is pulled in at the corners, almost more of a smirk as she swallows down her true excitement. Ava can tell by the way Sara’s eyes are squinted with mirth. Ava can tell by the way Sara rubs her thumb along the top of Ava’s hand as they shake.

“Ava. Sharpe.” The name comes out as two separate sentences, and Ava can see Sara’s desire to laugh.

“Sharpe?” Now Sara does allow herself a chuckle. “You’re the social media manager.”

Ava scrunches her brow, letting her own humor shape into a look of surprise. “I am. What’s it to you?”

“I’m the social media manager for Legends.”

“What?” Ava pulls back and raises half her mouth into a smirk. “You’re so rude.”

Sara winks and Ava knows that anyone sitting behind her would catch the action. “It’s what I do best.”

Rip leans around Ava’s back. Ava turns to eye him, knowing that Sara’s doing the same. “You’re both the best at it, that’s why I wanted you to meet.” He shifts forward and Ava can feel his arm brush her own. She leans a bit away from him without planning it, into Sara’s space.

Ava turns back to Sara, ignoring Rip. “What you do best is be rude to me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” says Sara. “I’m rude to a great many people.”

Ava can’t stop a smile from shining out at Sara. She knows this game. “Of course you are. Too full of yourself to be kind?”

“I don’t think that’s-”

Sara cuts Rip off, leveling her gaze at Ava. “Maybe. You seem to be figuring out how to be rude right back though.”

Oh God. Sara’s leaning forward and Ava watches as she puts her elbow on the armchair between them. They’re inches away from one another. Ava could shift a few inches more to lock her lips with Sara’s, to show her how well Ava’s figuring all this out. Instead Ava turns to face the stage and shoves her shoulder against Sara’s arm, knocking it off the armrest. Ava puts her own forearm in the space. “I’m getting by,” she says.

“Hi,” says a voice around Sara. Ava and Sara both turn to see Gideon and Zari, the latter sitting next to Sara. “I’m Zari, this is Gideon.” Zari reaches around Sara, who shifts back in her seat, to reach for Ava’s hand.

“Ava,” says Ava. Zari gives her a squeeze and pulls Ava’s hand a bit before letting go, making Ava shift towards Sara’s for a moment. Zari grins as Ava shifts back, shaking her head almost imperceptibly and biting her tongue to prevent herself from chuckling. She nods to Gideon. “Nice to meet you both.”

“Isn’t it though?” Gideon flashes Ava a grin before turning to Zari.

Ava is startled when Rip puts a hand on her shoulder to push her back a bit so he can look at Sara. “Miss Lance, how have you been?”

Sara shifts to put the edge of her elbow on the armrest, just behind Ava’s forearm. “I’d be better if I was sitting next to you instead of this waste of space.” She leans her elbow forward a bit to press against Ava’s arm and Ava, for a second, forgets to look offended.

“Oh come off it,” says Rip. He glances at Ava, then back to Sara. “If you two weren’t competitors you’d be best friends.”

“Or something else,” says Zari. Ava looks straight ahead at the stage, deciding that her energy would be better spent taking in the details of the controllers than engaging in this conversation. Especially when Zari’s tone makes Ava want to run a hand along the nape of her neck to stop the heat of embarrassment from spreading up into her face.

“I don’t know about that,” says Sara. She sits back in her chair and huffs. Ava steals a glance at her to see that she has pulled out her phone.

“How long until this thing starts?” Ava asks the question before she remembers that she’s currently being above it all. She catches Sara’s smirk as she, undoubtedly, thinks the same thing.

“Less than five minutes, Aves.”

The affectionate nickname makes Ava want to blush again and to reach out for Sara’s hand. Instead she runs her palms down the part of her dress that covers her thighs. This would be better in jeans. “Thanks.”

They sit in silence for a minute and Ava knows that Rip is studying her. She’s wondering what he’s thinking, why he won’t look away and let her lean into the light touch of Sara’s arm against hers. Unseen, subtle, sexy.

“Ava!” The loud voice calls from around Rip and Ava does everything in her power not to roll her eyes.

“Hi Gary,” Ava says. The illustrator must have just arrived and somehow made his way over to sit next to Rip.

“This is so exciting!” Gary practically bounces in his seat, his jacket lapels flopping with the motion. “Do you think we’ll win anything?”

“I don’t know,” says Ava. She catches Sara’s eye and almost laughs when Sara makes a subtle gagging noise in the back of her throat, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. She’s heard about Gary’s unique enthusiasm often enough from Ava to understand the loveable annoyance that is Gary Green.

“Here!” Gary reaches across Rip to shove a program into Ava’s hands. “Sorry, sir.” The cover is dominated by an illustrated version of the statues that will be awarded tonight. She flips through the pages, seeing the order of awards and nominees, descriptions of the companies and bios of some CEOs and the like, and ads for games, companies, and gaming equipment. There are even some ads for future events at the venue.

“Can I look?” Sara’s watching Ava flip through the pages.

“I’m not done,” says Ava.

“Then share.”

Ava gives Sara an intentional once over, raising an eyebrow as though she’s trying to judge whether she can trust Sara with an activity as universal as sharing. “Fine. But don’t rush me.”

“I never would.” Sara wiggles her eyebrows at Ava as she moves her arm and they shift together. Ava reaches out to lightly smack Sara’s arm as she turns to the front of the program. After a moment Ava glances over to catch Rip taking them in, beyond him most of the nearby TBG employees are talking in low voices and sneaking the occasional look in her direction. Nora Darhk even seems interested in what’s going on between one of her people and a Legends employee. Ava sits up when the lights suddenly flicker again. She passes the program back to Gary and turns to face the stage, feeling Sara shift beside her too.

The man who takes the stage is young, clearly in his twenties, and Ava doesn’t recognize him. She waits through his intro speech about the value of the industry, the importance of recognizing those who create that value, and the need for video games to allow users an escape and a chance to find community. Ava raises an eyebrow at Sara, who shrugs. After a few minutes of blathering the man steps back and a screen descends on the stage, showing Clarke running alongside a wall before jumping onto it, into a window, and falling to land on an adversary. The sound of the game pulses into the room far louder than necessary. Clarke’s blade juts into the man she lands on within seconds and Ava knows, from the steady gameplay and movement choice, that Sara is controlling the character. Ava jumps when the team sitting to her right starts shouting, whooping, and clapping as the video plays, their words impossible to parse against the game but still loud. The cheering lasts for less than twenty seconds, almost perfectly aligned with the clip of Clarke. Sara leans towards Ava as another game takes over the screen. “That’s me.”

Ava scoots closer to Sara, making sure no one can hear her response. “I know babe.”

Sara looks over and smiles at Ava, then turns to the screen again. Now Mario is ground pounding to slide down a hill and kill a mess of Goombas. At the end Mario flies through the open air, ready to land on a floating platform, then Alex Mason is landing on the roof of a car and sprinting forward, shooting various other characters as he moves with precision through the world of Call of Duty. With each game change applause comes from a different part of the theater, giving the viewing an odd filmed-in-studio feel. The games flow from one into another and Ava can’t help remembering the video of Clarke and Lexa that she created.

“Too bad they don’t have those gifs of us both doing that awesome beheading move,” says Sara. “That’d be perfect for this kind of thing.”

Ava shuffles down in her seat, hiding her smile with a hand. “Did you know they were going to use your playing?”

Sara shrugs. “No, but what else would they use?”

Ava shrugs back, letting her shoulder slide against Sara’s. She feels Sara shift a bit into the touch.

When Lexa comes onto the screen Ava chuckles. She knows that outfit, recognizes it from hours of playing online under the TB Gaming handle. Although no one told her, this video was clearly snagged from one of her Let’s Plays.

“Aves,” says Sara.

Before Ava can respond there’s a massive shift to her left as her coworkers lean forward in their seats to yell, shout, and clap. Rip wraps his hands around his mouth and hollars something that Ava can’t make out with the other yelling and the chair-shaking sound of the game itself. She joins in the noisemaking, yelling and raising her hands to clap. She smiles when Sara turns to her, near her ear, and lets out a whoop that is probably only heard by Ava. Within seconds the screen has shifted to Fortnight.

“Your playing is excellent,” calls Rip over the sound of the video. He has leaned over so Ava can hear and she smiles back at him. “Top notch. At least as good as Miss Lance’s work.”

Ava knows that if Sara could hear Rip she’d give some snarky retort. “Better,” she calls back.

“You’d better be talking about how an alcoholic beverage would make you feel right now,” calls Sara into Ava’s ear. Ava turns and sees that Sara’s holding out a hand. “If you give me one of your tokens I’ll go get us some drinks.”

Ava looks down the line of people along the row beyond Sara. “Is that a good idea?”

“I’m closer to the side,” says Sara. “And I know what to get you.”

“Fair enough.”

As the video ends Ava fishes in her purse and hands a token to Sara, letting their hands touch at the exchange. Ava feels like she’s breaking a rule, like she shouldn’t be drinking. There’s no reason to feel that way, but drinking among so many in the industry has her on edge. It’s a specific type of thrill, one of lawlessness that she’s not used to feeling. “Thanks,” she says.

Rip leans over as Sara starts making her way past the five Legends employees sitting to her right. “Trust her not to poison your drink?”

The man from earlier, the one Ava hadn’t bothered to pay attention to, takes the stage again. This time there is no sudden hush, just a dip in the volume of chatter as people continue to react to the video they watched. The man speaks as though the room is quietly enthralled.

Ava shrugs. “She likes the competition too much.”

“That’s true.” Rip fiddles with something in his hand and Ava sees that he has one of his own free drink tokens out too. He looks down at her glance. “She didn’t offer to get me a drink.”

Ava shrugs again, unsure how to get Rip to stop paying such close attention to her and Sara. “She only has two hands.”

“I suppose.”

“Do you want me to get you one, Rip?” Ava turns to her boss with a smile, one that says she’s willing to go if he does want something.

“Well…” He looks at her, then past to the group of Legends sitting beyond her.

“I’d go the other way,” says Ava. “I don’t know Legends that well.”

“Fine, I’ll go.” With an exaggerated sigh Rip stands up and moves down the aisle. When he gets to the end he sees Sara standing there with two drinks and a bag of something.

“Hey,” Ava whispers when Sara sits down and hands over her drink. The crowd has gotten a bit quieter since the man began to speak. “Thanks.”

“Of course. And they had Swedish Fish.”

“My hero!” Ava rips the bag open and grabs a gummy before offering the bag to Sara.

“Can you two be quiet?” A voice behind Sara and Ava makes them turn and Ava gapes, seeing that she and Sara have been talking and flirting blatantly in front of Hank and Dorothy Heywood.

“Sorry sir,” whispers Ava. Sara looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

“And are you sorry?” Hank leans forward in his chair, extending his hand towards Sara. “Hank Heywood, TBG CEO. Who are you, to have my social media manager so enraptured?”

“Enraptured?” The word jumps out of Ava’s mouth. “I hardly think-”

“Sara Lance, Legends social media.” Sara takes Hank’s hand and gives a good shake, Ava can tell by the way his smile slides. He made the same face when Ava shook his hand for the first time. “And you know what they say, hatred and love are two sides of the same coin.”

“Legends.” Hank lets the word rest in his mouth like a Worther’s Original. Or perhaps like a particularly cumbersome pill. “I didn’t realize any of you would deign to speak with any of my people.”

“I make friends everywhere I go,” says Sara with a smile that seems genuine. Ava wants to scoff at her obviousness.

“We’ll have to talk more during intermission then,” says Hank. He glances over at Ava. “For now I’d like to be attentive to the preamble of TBG’s clean sweep.”

Sara chuckles. “Of course, sir.” The honorific is steeped in something like sarcasm, but perhaps a smidge more polite.

Ava watches her boss settle back into his seat for a moment, whispering something to his wife, before turning to glance at Sara. Ava’s girlfriend is staring dutifully forward, watching the talking man like she cares what he’s saying. When Ava does the same she realizes he’s done speaking because a woman is taking the stage, one with short dark hair and an outfit that can only be described as Extra.

“Oh,” says Ava. She feels her expression become more open, her jaw dropping unintentionally as she watches the singer.

“Trying to catch flies?” Sara chuckles when Ava feels a blush at the whispered question, letting a feeling of discomfort cloud her face.

“It’s not my fault I’ve had a crush on her since I was twenty.” Ava knows her words are barely audible over the sudden swell of music, driving and forceful. When the woman opens her mouth, mic held with a level of confidence that Ava can't comprehend, Ava leans forward.

“That’s Alex Danvers,” whispers Sara.

"I know.” Ava glances at Sara and smiles. “Don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” whispers Sara. “I just met you, remember?” And Sara doesn't look jealous. Her smile is confident and self-assured, her eyes glinting with nothing beyond pure mischief. And, Ava reasons, who doesn’t have a crush once in a while? Ava trusts Sara, and she thinks that Sara trusts her right back. Ava takes a sip of her drink, startled to discover that Sara got her a rum and root beer. She smiles at the memory of their first night together.

“Taste the poison?” Rip whispers the words to Ava, who shakes her head as she watches Danvers.

“Just surprised at the drink choice.”

Rip chuckles, clearly thinking that Ava’s already whipped. Little does he know.

**Sara:**

The first category of the night has Ava shifting in her seat to look around the crowd. Sara smirks, knowing who Ava is looking for.

“This a storied category.” The speaker, a basketball player with a deep voice and a kind smile, begins. “From the way the tale of the game is structured to the intricacies of character development and themes, Narrative is the drive and the heart of every game. With this award we honor those hearts. Up for the award for best Narrative are the following: Deliberate Arch, by Riptide. Fashion for War by Big Fish.” As the man continues speaking Sara tunes him out, paying more attention to Ava’s squirming search than who is a potential winner. When the winning game is called Sara claps as Ava almost stands in her chair.

“Give me your phone,” says Sara.

“What?” Even as she asks the question Ava pulls out her phone, unlocks it, and hands it over. Sara thinks about the trust this displays, about how not so long ago Ava wouldn’t give up her phone to show Sara a gif. Instead of dwelling on that fact Sara opens the camera and lines up the shot. As the Riptide team walks by Sara tracks them with the phone, waiting until their head writer, Stephen Archer, is almost in the shot.

“Aves,” Sara says. Ava turns and smiles at Sara, the joy of seeing one of her favorite game creators shining through, and Sara snaps the photo. It’s a bit blurry but Stephen is clear and Ava looks ecstatic. “Here.” Sara hands the phone back as Riptide takes the stage.

“Sara.” The name is soft on Ava’s tongue, and Sara smiles. She nods away whatever else Ava is going to say.

“Listen,” whispers Sara, gesturing to the stage.

“What a beautiful night, this is truly an honor. We wouldn’t be here without-” Once again Sara tunes out the speech, attending instead to the woman beside her. Ava is leaning forward, hands curled around the edge of her seat. She has an excited, wonder-filled look that makes something in Sara feel comforted and, surprisingly, excited too.

That’s the only category that Ava seems to care all that much about for a while. They sit through ones about various gaming events, esports activities and competitions, the adaptation of industry standards based on game stylizations. As they sit they drink, chuckling softly at some of the game names even though they’ve seen them all before. Hell, they’ve both played most of them at least once. Eight awards in and they are both clutching their second drinks and Sara thinks, not for the first time, that the bartender is going a little heavy on the spirit side of these cocktails.

“Soundtrack!” Ava, although mostly whispering, puts enough enthusiasm into the word to make it feel like a scream. “You’re up for this one!”

“Not me,” says Sara. She gestures to the row of people next to her and two rows behind her. “Legends. I don’t have anything to do with the music they make and pick.”

Ava rolls her eyes at Sara, the action not clouded by any sense of embarrassment. “Of course not, but it’s your employer.”

“Right.” Sara sits and watches as the presenter, Alex Danvers, talks through the description that’s prewritten for the Soundtrack award.

“Soundtracks move us forward within a story, helping to build and guide us on the emotional journey that we’re meant to take. Without a soundtrack a tense pause might seem like a mistake, a first sight boring, a fight shallow. We are driven by all of our senses, and the stimulation applied through music cannot be overlooked. For this reason we bestow the Soundtrack award on the game that, this year, utilizes music to the best effect.”

Sara wants to make some sound of derision. She agrees with what Danvers is saying, but the way Ava hangs on the words makes Sara want to mock Ava. She nudges Ava with her elbow as Danvers lists off the nominees, including Legends. Their nomination is for a game they’d released towards the middle of last year called Slay Anything, based on the idea that violence solves everything when pixels are involved.

“Don’t drool all over your beautiful outfit,” Sara whispers. “You’ll look a mess when you go up to accept your award.”

Ava closes her mouth and turns to Sara. “Shut up.”

“Your insults are getting weaker. Want me to get you another drink to mush your thoughts further?”

Ava glares at Sara, but Sara doesn’t respond. Instead she leans her arm against Ava’s and smiles.

“And the winners are…” Danvers makes a show of removing the piece of paper from the envelope. “Legends, Slay Anything!”

Sara almost jumps in her seat as the people to her right explode, yelling and clapping and standing. Zari grabs Sara’s arm and pulls her up into a hug. It’s the first hug they’ve shared in a while, and Sara enjoys how intense yet brief it is. They’ll never be physically affectionate friends. Sara steps around Zari to hug Gideon as well, the woman responsible for helping the music department create a truly unforgettable soundtrack for Slay Anything and, if Sara thinks about it, all of the other Legends games since Gid was brought onto the team. Other Legends are leaning over to give Sara partial hugs or slap her arms, the entire group congratulating one another with great enthusiasm. Sara does notice, though, that most of the affection is given to Gideon and an instrumentalist that Sara only knows by sight. Gideon and the instrumentalist make their way to the stage, following the IMGA guidelines that allow only two people to accept each award. As Sara sits back down she feels Ava grip her arm briefly, unseen by others in the excitement. Sara takes out her phone and presses record, getting the speech on camera before opening Twitter and pulling up a drafted Tweet for just this situation. She notices Ava watching her.

“Always working,” Sara says with a smile. The sound of the crowd cheering as her coworkers exit the stage means Sara needs to almost yell the words.

“Me too.” Ava takes out her phone and after a moment Sara gets a notification. A comment from TB Gaming on her post about the Legends win. _Bragging already? The night is young, Asshats._

“Huh,” says Sara, smirking at the comment. “Sharp.”

“My name or my comment?”

“Both.”

The next category is the first where Legends and TBG are both in the running. Animation. Sara grins when she notices how Ava is gripping the armrest. She types under the comment that Ava left on her Tweet. _Now we’ll see how this goes. Gonna kick your ass. #IMGAAnimation_

Once again Sara pays little attention to the announcer, instead watching her girlfriend shift in her seat. This means something to her, Sara knows. The first direct conflict between Legends and TBG, the first chance for TBG to prove themselves since Ava joined the company. Sara isn’t nervous, she knows how this will end. At least, she thinks she does. Sara crosses her fingers on her thighs, just to be safe.

“TB Gaming, 2213!” The announcement rings through the room and Sara exhales, a smile tugging at her lips that she works to turn into a disappointed scowl. When she notices the rest of Legends glaring at TBG Sara turns too, but instead of feeling the anger she expects she finds herself to be a bit happy. Legends already won something anyway, and TBG will be taken a bit more seriously as a competitor if they begin seriously challenging Legends. This, Sara knows, will only lead to more interactions between the two companies on the socials. Her stomach swoops at the thought. Ava sits down after cheering for her team, then takes her seat as Gary and Heywood make their way to the stage.

Hank’s speaking when Sara turns to the stage, noticing that his eyes are, for some reason, on her. Shit. Sara plays back what she’d just been doing. Had she run a finger up Ava’s arm? Leaned in too close? No, Sara realizes, she’d only been watching Ava. But her expression had been smitten, not worn by rivalry. Sara might have given it away to Ava’s boss.

As the room cheers the end of the acceptance speech Sara vows to cool it. She will back off, treat Ava like the competitor she is and not like her girlfriend. She will waylay Heywood’s thoughts with a bit of well-placed vitriol. Sara nods to herself before glancing over to Ava, who has her phone out but is looking at Sara with such joy that Sara’s resolve falls away in less than a second.

Hank Heywood will find out that they like one another. Oh well.

The next category is Longevity. Sara sighs as she remembers this is another one that Legends is up for and that Legends wins this category almost every year. She takes a sip of her drink, smirking at the presenter as she speaks about devotion to a well-loved game, building a dedicated fanbase, and the importance of customer care. No one yells with surprise when Legends is called as the winner, although the Legends employees do stand up and cheer gleefully. Sara smirks at Ava, who snaps a picture of Sara on her phone. Sara sticks out her tongue for a second photo before high fiving Zari.

The next category that either team is up for is Voice Performance, but Tallons beats Legends out for that one. And honestly Sara can’t fault the IMGA because every Legends employee, despite the downturn of their lips at their loss, has complained about the voice talent that Tallons gathers for each new release for years.

Sara sits up at the final category before intermission. Writing/Story. Although if Sara’s being honest she doesn’t understand the difference between the Writing/Story and Narrative categories. One is about individual scenes and character writing, the other the structure and overall arch of the game. Whatever. The details of the awards don’t matter. What matters is that this is the second category where TBG and Legends are in direct competition with one another.

“...TB Gaming, with 2213, and Legends, with League of Assassins.”

There’s a hush over the crowd as the speaker, a screenwriter, finishes reading the nominations. Sara glances over at Ava, who’s sitting forward in her seat with her eyes glued on the presenter.

The moment sits in the air, heavy, and this time Sara knows that she wants Legends to win.

“And it’s 2213!” The presenter jumps a bit, clearly happy with the results, and Sara wonders for a second at his level of investment. “TB Gaming beat out all the others, including-” The presenter stops talking and Sara knows, in her gut, that he’d been about to say Legends. She puffs out some air as Ava launches to her feet at Sara’s side. “Get up here!” Now the presenter is gesturing to TBG and smiling. Sara watches, feeling a bit defeated, as TBG takes the stage again in a walloping win against Legends.

When Ava sits back down Sara unwinds her arms from in front of her chest. Sara should be happy for Ava, not bitter. She tugs her phone out at the same moment that Ava does, watching Ava record the speech.

sharperdirectives  
  
2 bad people r distracted by what's new & shiny instead of what's good, huh babe?  
  


Ava doesn’t respond but she does shove her shoulder against Sara’s. Sara shoves back, enjoying the contact, before she finally gives in and smiles at Ava. Losing to that look, that proud smirk, isn’t such a bad thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDITED TO ADD: The next update will be later than usual - probably not until Tuesday or Wednesday. Tomorrow is my wife's birthday (30th!) and she's taking a long weekend off work, which will increase my joy but also limit my writing time. Sorry I forgot to put this up when I originally posted this chapter. Thanks for sticking with it!
> 
> \-------
> 
> Hey! This one got a bit away from me, heh, which means we get another chapter. So expect this story to be 27 chapters, not 26. Unless something else sneaks up on me.
> 
> I hope you're liking it! I had a good time writing this bit, it was a pretty fantastic distraction.
> 
> Thanks for reading and being awesome!  
> Erin


	26. The Second Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They’re in the middle of a stand-off. TBG against Legends. Ava against Sara, and Ava wants to stop it but her peers seem to have other plans.
> 
> \-------
> 
> “LoA. LoA.” The words are a whisper that Sara only hears because she’s shifting towards Ava in her seat. They’re a chant, willing League to be the winner. Sara wants to wrap her arms around Ava, to show the joy she feels at being here, next to Ava Sharpe. Instead she smiles at her lap and her empty hands.
> 
> OR
> 
> This is a long ass chapter but I'm not sorry.

**Ava:**

The intermission starts with raised lighting and a song, an instrumental piece that Ava recognizes right away. It’s from LoA and is used to building tension as Clarke begins her journey. Ava smiles at the group of Legends to her right, all looking appreciative of the song after their win in the Soundtrack category.

“Ava,” says Rip. He smiles and nods beyond her as she and Sara stand up, clutching their beverages. “Sara. I was wondering if you’d care to talk?”

Ava glances between the two, wondering what this is about.

“Sure.” Sara passes Ava to stand between her and Rip. “What’s up?’’

“That’s all you have to say after all this time?” Rip laughs and throws an arm over Sara’s shoulder before noticing Ava shifting down the row. “Ava, where are you going?”

Ava stops, turning back to the pair. They want time to catch up, certainly. “To see who else is-”

“Let’s all talk,” says Rip, removing his arm and stepping back from Sara. “That’s why I requested this seating arraignment, after all.”

Ava laughed. “Of course it was you.”

“Who else? Now wow us, Sara, with your thoughts on the proceedings thus far.”

Sara rolls her eyes and Ava can’t help the chuckle that escapes her lips. Of course Rip would want Sara’s opinion and Sara would be reticent to give it. At the end of the eye roll Ava blinks. People are watching them. TB Gaming people. She turns her head to the other side. Legends are watching them too.

“There’s more talking during the speeches than I expected,” says Sara.

Ava sees Gary, blatantly eavesdropping, raise an eyebrow. “You expected? You’ve never been before?”

“No,” says Sara with a shrug. “I’ve always watched from home.”

“Who are you?” asks Bennet. He’s scooted closer after some of the other TBG employees left their seats to use the bathroom or get snacks. Ava wants to tell him, and the other TBG people, to lay off.

Ava can sense Sara’s annoyance too. Sara believes Bennet deserved to be fired for his poor work with the socials, not shifted to another department. “Sara Lance, Legends social media manager,” she says loudly enough for people within the nearby four or so rows to hear.

“What? Why would you actually come this year?” Bennet’s question sounds more surprised than angry, though Ava can tell the Legends side of the row is getting defensive.

Ray clambers over the back of his chair to walk down the vacated aisle behind Sara and Ava, stopping close enough to become part of the conversation. “She doesn’t have to explain herself,” he says. The telling off looks wrong on his expression and Ava wants to smirk at him. Instead she moves her eyes back to Sara, knowing most of the other observers are watching her too.

They’re in the middle of a stand-off. TBG against Legends. Ava against Sara, and Ava wants to stop it but her peers seem to have other plans.

“She does if she’s going to be sitting with Ava,” says Gary. He sticks his chest out like a child expounding upon a point he thinks is obviously correct. “They do have a feud to maintain.”

“Oh, I’m not about to be nice on the socials,” says Sara with a smirk.

“Yeah, Sara will always be a bitch,” says Zari. Ava shoots her a look but is met with Zari lifting her chin at Ava, as though she expected that to spark a fight.

“No,” says Rip, stepping forward to put a hand on Sara’s shoulder. She smirks at him while shaking his arm off. Ava can’t help but smile at the first TBG employee to defend a Legend.

“You’re not a bitch,” says Ray quickly. He lays his hands out flat as though making a point that should be clear to everyone. “Sure, you’re a little harsh-”

“Ha!” Bennet grins at Ava. “Ava knows what a little harsh means to a Legend employee.”

Ava blinks. She does know that. And she knows the difference between their dynamic online and in person. She also knows that being perceived as rude or strong willed, or hell, as a bitch, gets a Twitter account followers.

“It’s a persona,” says Ava. She grins at Sara. “Lance is intentionally provocative online. Not that being a strong woman is a bad thing,” she says with another glare at Zari, who smiles like Ava’s won something and she’s proud.

Ava notices, at that moment, that more of the Legends employees have shifted closer in the nearest couple rows to listen, A few, like Ray, have climbed chairs to get closer to the action. A few of Ava’s coworkers have done the same, standing hesitatingly close to their competitors.

“So what do you think, Ava?” Rip has realized that they have an audience too, raising his voice a little with the question.

“Of your ridiculous scruff or of this event?” Ava raises an eyebrow at Rip’s expression, pulling into a frown and lifting his hand to tug at his rough facial hair.

“I was inquiring about the event, Miss Sharpe.” He smiles at Ava in a way that tells her they’ll be revisiting this conversation, but Ava doesn’t mind because it’s blurred the loyalty drawn between the two groups further. She’s defended a Legend and insulted a TBG employee.

“I don’t know.” Ava nods to the Legends side. “You’ve had a good showing so far, but we’ll catch up. Otherwise I’ve enjoyed the drinks.” She raises her almost empty glass to clink against the one in Sara’s hand.

“I’ll drink to that,” says Sara. “Although you won’t catch up.”

“Right.” Ava smiles at Sara as they both finish their drinks.

There’s a murmur around them and Ava watches some of the people on either side of the dividing line mumble to one another, some smiling a bit. A few clink their own glasses before drinking. Rip leans towards Sara and Ava barely hears his words over the rumble of conversation and the music. “I’ve long thought this rivalry has lived beyond its usefulness.”

Ava is ready to agree when she notices Nora Darhk, drink in hand, coming to join the Legends. The COO smiles at Ray and Ava thinks she sees something there. Instead of stopping to talk among her own people, Nora steps forward and waves to Rip.

“Mr. Hunter,” she calls, her voice carrying. “I hope you’re doing well after all these years.”

“Quite,” says Rip. He gives Darhk a smile and nods to Sara and Ava. “Seems we’re both in a marvelous position with these skilled social media managers helming our messages.”

Nora chuckles, shifting on her feet. “Indeed.” She smiles and tilts her glass to Rip before taking a sip. Ava realizes, in that moment, that many of the conversations have quieted to watch the interaction between the highest present representative of Legends and a TBG employee.

“Rip.” The new voice is strong and rough, and Ava wonders for a moment if Hank Heywood always sounds like he’s preparing himself to hunt wild boar. She’s only heard his voice a couple of times over the last few months and she can’t quite remember.

“Mr. Heywood,” says Rip respectfully.

“Ms. Darhk.” The name from Heywood sounds scolding, almost like he’s trying to put her in her place. Nora only smiles at him before turning to his wife.

“I hope you’ll forgive my forward nature,” Nora says, “but I adore your dress, Mrs. Heywood.”

Hank turns to his wife as she smiles at the compliment. “Thank you! Yours is equally lovely, dear.” Ava glances between the two women before she realizes what Nora is doing. Hank seems to reach the same conclusion when Ava does, and he smiles.

“Your father couldn’t be here, Ms. Darhk?” The question doesn’t have the downturned lilt that marked her name when he said it a few moments earlier.

“Sadly no,” says Nora. “He generally doesn’t come to these events. Says he feels out of place and that his spot would be better taken by one of our employees. Although I can tell him that you say hello?”

The question makes Heywood tilt his head a bit. “That would be fine, I suppose.” It’s an olive branch to match the compliment to his wife. Ava glances at Sara and they make eye contact, and Ava can read the shock in her girlfriend’s eyes.

“He always gives up his spot for an employee?” Hank shifts so his shoulders aren’t quite a square, allowing the conversation to continue.

“If our employers become friends I won’t let up on the socials,” says Sara. Her voice carries over the crowd, heard by anyone listening in on the discussion growing between Nora and Hank.

Ava scoffs. “We could be best friends and I’d expect nothing less, Lance. This is business, babe.” She wields that last word like an insult, venom and sarcasm undercut by her smile.

“Oh, babe is it?” Sara pushes her shoulder against Ava and laughs when Ava, thinking about the visual, lets herself almost fall into the row of seats next to her before Sara grabs her wrist to pull her upright.

“Professional anger, feigned for the masses,” says Ray. “A perfect marketing ploy.”

Ava glances down the line and sees Jefferson Jackson sizing up TBG as other small pockets of conversation break out between the two groups. “Gary,” she calls.

“Yes Ava?” Gary stumbles towards Ava and Sara with a look on his face that’s eager to please and full of enough admiration to make Ava want to cringe. He almost falls shoulder-first into her.

“Gary, stop.” He backs a step up. “During the ceremony I was telling Sara about your most recent illustration of Lexa. Care to show her?”

“I have it on my phone,” says Gary, reaching into his pocket to pull out the device.

“You’re an illustrator?”

Ava wonders if Sara is reading Ava’s intentions or thinks she’s coming up with a plan all on her own. “Gary’s our main artist,” Ava says as Gary looks purly panicked.

“You should meet Jax.” Sara nods to Jackson, who steps closer to the group. He’s two rows back, and gracelessly climbs over the chairs separating him and Gary. To be fair Ava thinks climbing those with any dignity would be impossible.

“Jefferson Jackson,” Jax provides, “but my friends call me Jax.” He holds out a hand to Gary for a shake but instead Gary puts his phone in Jax’s hand. “Oh,” Jax says. He lifts the camera to look, a smile turning up one corner of his mouth. “My man, this is great!”

“Well you’ve seen my stuff,” says Gary. He moves to put a hand over the screen, swiping to show other illustrations he’s photographed.

“Only the finished goods,” says Jax, shaking his head. “The lines on this though. This is a draft, yeah?”

Gary nods. “A first go at an idea I have for a panel.”

“Gary,” calls Hank. “Don’t give away all of our secrets now.”

Ava looks over to see that he and Dorothy Heywood have shifted closer to Nora, and that Ray has started a conversation with Rip about professionalism. Zari and Gideon are with Willbur Bennet, who has left the TBG side of the line to stand behind Ava and Sara. There are other conversations happening, cautious dialogue between coders and programmers that make Ava smile. She and Sara stand for a moment, marveling at the shift in the two groups around them, before the lights begin to flicker. The three minute warning.

“We’d better take our seats,” says Nora, gesturing to Hank and his wife before smiling and offering her hand to Hank, who shakes it.

“A pleasure,” says Hank.

“Same,” Nora says with a smile. Slowly the groups separate to take their previous positions, but now instead of glares between the two there’s only the occasional look that broadcasts curious surprise. Ava smirks at Sara before they sit down, reaching over to tap a finger against Sara’s hand.

“I just realized,” says Ava, “we’re without drinks again.”

“I can get us-”

“No,” says Ava. “I’ll be right back.”

Before Sara responds Ava turns, grabbing her purse and heading down the aisle that is still full of people loitering on their feet. She makes her way to the end and begins walking back towards the door before she notices someone at her side.

“Sara Lance, eh?” Hank is watching Ava in a way that makes her want to shift away from him. She can’t place the feeling until she realizes that it’s a sense of undeserved shame, reminiscent of being called into the principal's office after a classmate made fun of her for being tall for her age and she was caught fighting back. She straightens her shoulders and meets Hanks’ eye.

“She seems fine,” Ava says. She turns to watch where she’s going until they reach the end of the room, turn to the left, and arrive at the bar. Ava leans against the wood and makes eye contact with the nearest bartender. Most people have their drinks already, it seems.

“Yes?” The bartender raises her eyebrows at Ava as though willing her to hurry up.

“Two rums and root beers,” says Ava. The order is automatic.

“I didn’t hear her ask for that,” says Hank. He’s looking at Ava, elbow propped on the bar.

“Sorry?” Ava watches the bartender instead of her boss.

“I didn’t hear Lance ask for a specific drink,” Hank says. “Or see her give you cash.”

“It’s what we were already drinking and I thought buying her a drink would be a nice gesture,” says Ava. She reaches into her purse and pulls out a twenty. When the woman comes back with the drinks she slips her the bill and Hank orders something neat. “It’d be good if we got along, I think.”

“Rip says she’s nice,” says Hank. He nods as though agreeing with something. “Professional.”

“Seems to be,” says Ava.

“Good.”

Ava waits, debating hanging back with Hank. There’s no reason for her to do so, really. They didn’t intentionally leave the room together. But this is the first time she’s had the chance to talk to him alone since she was hired. She should have more to say. “Are you enjoying the evening?”

Hank accepts his drink and hands a bill to the bartender, who gives Ava a smile. “Sure,” he says. “It’s been a fine evening. Although I suspect that if I were to ask you the same you’d have a more positive outlook.”

Ava pauses in her turn to head back. “How do you mean?”

“It’s your first one of these,” he says. “I would be surprised if the pomp of the night didn’t get to you.”

“Right.” He isn’t thinking about her gushing over Sara then. “I suppose it is fun.”

Hank snorts as he walks forward, Ava falling into step next to him. “Maybe if I’d asked if you like Miss Lance you would give a more believable response.”

“Like I said, she’s fine.” 

“Just remember that although she may be professional she is competition. You signed a few statements about the treatment of TB Gaming property.”

“I know,” says Ava. She smiles. “Sara signed the same for Legends, I suppose.”

Hank takes a sip of his drink as he walks, holding it like one might hold a hollowed eggshell. Fragile. “Yes, I suppose.”

There’s a pause as they near their row until Hank reaches out with a hand to stop Ava’s progress down the aisle. “There is another form to fill out if you have a personal interest in Miss Lance.” He grimaces. “Not that I would assume anything about your personal lives or have any problems with however you spend your time outside of work. I’ve simply noticed the way you look at one another and thought a reminder of the paperwork might be in order.” He looks down.

Ava could play surprised. Tilt her chin, raise an eyebrow, attempt to confuse him into thinking she hasn’t noticed Sara’s attentiveness. Instead she gives him confirmation in a small smile. “Thank you, I’ll be sure to search out that paperwork if necessary.”

“Great.” Hank arrives at his row as the lights go down. “We’d best hurry.” He begins shuffling along, those already seated doing that sort of squat and knee shift required to let another body walk between themselves and the chair in front. Ava goes to her own row and follows suit, balancing the drinks as she moves.

“Oh, thank you.” Sara takes her drink with a squeeze of Ava’s fingers, subtle and stirring.

“Any time,” Ava whispers, turning to watch the original speaker welcome them all back after intermission. She almost sighs as she feels Sara’s knee press against her thigh, the woman facing forward but with her body angled towards Ava. Ava glances at her, at the way Sara’s hand rests on her own leg, and Ava thinks for a moment about taking that hand and feeling the comfort that the action would give. With Hank so close, and suspicions already up, she lets the urge slide away. Instead Ava trains her eyes forward and listens to the preamble to the more prestigious and desirable awards to be given out tonight.

**Sara:**

The crowd is getting louder. Sara takes another sip of her drink and realizes that they must have each speaker miked for the online broadcast because she never heard muffled waves of the crowd during the speeches while watching at home. Around her the whispers and barely held back talking takes over the space, giving away the inebriated state of her competition and coworkers. She looks beyond Ava to gauge how well TBG is holding up and snorts when she sees that Gary is slouched, practically asleep against Rip’s shoulder.

“I know,” whispers Ava. “He’s been like that for almost ten minutes.”

Sara chuckles again before pulling her eyes back to the stage. They’ve gotten through seven categories since intermission ended, most which covered game genres. Action, adventure, role-playing, strategy, sports, and more. Sara has fired off a few Tweets about the winners of those categories, relaxed in the knowledge that neither Legends nor TB Gaming were up for anything. Now, though, the acceptance speech for the puzzle category is drawing to a close. Sara sits up straighter in her chair and smirks in Ava’s direction.

“First-person shooter.” Sara says the words at the same time as the announcer, a popular youtuber who plays under the name Wikkan. She tunes in to listen to his description of the genre, which he states is one of his favorites.

“This is the genre that people claim acts as a call to violence, the destruction of empathy and love. I say that’s wrong. First-person shooters build a sense of determination and a desire to achieve despite the many, many times we all fail. They give us pride and joy at playing with friends online, working together towards a shared goal. Hell, they’ve even been shown in studies to improve spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination, and science has to count for something.” He pauses as those listening chuckle. “The best games to build these skills are the ones that draw us in, make us truly feel wicked.” The crowd laughs louder at the reference to Wikkan’s signoff: Feel Wicked, Wikkans. “For your consideration tonight: Half-Life by Valve, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare by Activision, League of Assassins by Legends, and Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment and Iron Galaxy.”

Sara feels a hand slip into hers at the mention of Legends and smiles when Ava gives her a squeeze. Although there’s still a great deal of buzz throughout the room their few rows have gone quiet, no TB Gaming or Legends voices filling the air. Sara looks down the row, both sides, and notes that Gary’s the only one not paying attention.

“And the winner is-” Sara swears that Wikkan is taking his time opening the envelope on purpose. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare! An absolutely brilliant game.”

The group of Legends employees, including Sara, slump in their chairs. Ava squeezes Sara’s hand again before pulling it back. Sara glances to the side and sees, to her surprise, that TB Gaming isn’t gloating. They’re looking, perhaps, disappointed.

“We all think LoA is the better of those games,” Ava whispers in her ear. “Don’t tell my Twitter followers.”

Sara tries not to let her joy at Ava’s words show. “I can’t make that promise.” She watches Ava pull out her phone and begin typing, so Sara turns to watch the acceptance speech. The two speakers are beginning to show their booze, leaning on the mic stand in a way that makes Sara nervous for its ability to balance. She supposes that their inebriation might be mistaken for joy and nerves, to a clueless at-home-viewer.

“You should check your mentions,” Ava says to Sara as the speakers wrap up.

“Why?”

“Someone might have said something sassy about Legends.”

Sara goes into her Twitter notifications and snorts when she sees Ava’s Tweet.

_Legends IMGA WINNERS  
@Legends  
What was that about 9 being more than 5?  
‘Cause 2 = 2, bitches._

“Like it?” Ava whispers the words, closer to Sara’s ears than strictly necessary.

“You know I don’t, you shit.” Sara smirks as she says the words, knowing that Ava will recognize that she’s joking by her smile and her wiggling eyebrows. Quickly Sara types into her own phone.

_Replying @TBGaming_  
Don’t worry, the night’s still young.  
We’ll still bury you. 

“Not your best work,” says Ava as the next category, Online Multiplayer, is called. It’s another that both companies are up for. They’ve missed the spiel and Sara shakes her head as she leans forward in her seat, listening to the nominees. TBG and Legends are listed last.

“And the winner is-”

This announcer is in a wheelchair, holding the mic in one of his hands with a smile that makes Sara want to grin back. Sara recognizes him as the original builder of the renowned online game hosting site URDPad.

“League of Assassins! Legends, get on up here!”

The group of Legends employees shoot to their feet and Sara drags Ava up to pull her into a hug. She feels Ava stiffen in her arms and pulls back, schooling a look of surprise onto her face.

“Sorry,” Sara says. Her excitement is ahead of her, with the announcement and Ava by her side, and she needs to be more professional.

“No, it’s-” Ava stops talking to glance around them, and Sara notices Hank Heywood watching them with a look that gives away nothing. Other TBG employees, all still seated, are staring at them too, most with their mouths open. “I’m happy for you,” Ava says. “But I will destroy you on the socials for this win.”

Sara laughs and pulls Ava into a quick half-hug before sitting down, longing to take Ava’s hand again.

Sara gets her phone as she settles back into her seat, watching the Legends representatives take the stage and beginning to record their speech. After she moves to Twitter and posts one of her pre-made Tweets bragging about the win. She doesn’t check her notifications when they start pouring in, instead choosing to glance at Ava. Sara’s girlfriend is looking not at the stage but at Sara. Sara knows, in that moment, that their attraction must be obvious. And although she knows that she should, Sara doesn’t care.

Maybe Sara would lean against the mic stand if she were on stage too.

The next two categories go by without much fanfare, outside of Sara getting them, and Rip, another drink. Although both groups are up for Most Anticipated the winner is a game by Naughy Dog. Sara smiles because Legends still has more wins than TBG and Ava’s watching Sara with affection anyway. Sara smiles again when she realizes that the next category is Ava’s.

“Companies yearn for what is called a Breakout. A game that, out of nowhere, sells and performs better than anticipated. Such games are the upstarts, often coming from unassuming smaller companies or long-established gamemakers with a consistent, if not expansive, fanbase.” Sara doesn’t recognize the presenter, a tall woman with braided red hair.

“That’s you,” says Sara to Ava. “Consistent if not expansive.”

“Shut up, I’m trying to listen.”

Sara watches Ava shift from her edge-of-the-chair posture, the nonsensical insult giving her a moment to laugh internally.

“The nominees for Breakout run the gambit. We have a brand new company, Vilify, with their fist and only release, Catch That Bacon. The game Point of Day comes from another small company, but one that’s been around for several years, Devoid. Sleeper company TB Gaming, ever present but never having any heavy hitters, shocked us with 2213. And finally There’s Data, an unassuming game from the highly popular gamemaker Insidiously.”

“They’ll probably get it,” whispers Ava.

Sara doesn’t say anything, instead pulling Ava’s hand into her own.

“The winner of Breakout Game is 2213!” The envelope is almost torn in half at the woman’s enthusiasm and Sara jumps up, pulling Ava with her and into another hug. This time she kisses Ava’s cheek, causing Ava to blush and smile at Sara as though, for a second, they’re the only two people present.

“Ava!” Rip pulls Ava into a hug of his own for a moment and Sara meets his eyes. He looks happy, joyful in a way pulls at Sara’s heart. Sara watches him tug Ava down the aisle, pulling at her hand like he’s going to show her somewhere that warrants childlike wonder. At the base of the stairs Ava looks over to Sara, who can’t help the smile she sends back. Sara pulls out her phone and opens the camera to record Rip’s speech.

“Jealous?”

The word makes Sara jump from her seat. She turns to see Hank Heywood watching her before shifting his attention to the stage.

“No,” says Sara. She should have more to say, some defense or biting retort, but instead she shrugs. “She deserves this.”

Hank looks at Sara again, his expression one of surprise, when Rip’s voice blasts through the drunken chatter of the groups that aren’t TBG and Legends.

“Thank you! I would like to thank my coworkers, everyone involved in the game production, and, of course, our gamers.” Sara looks to see Rip snaking a hand around Ava’s waist, keeping her close. Sara feels her eyes narrow, a pinch building in her chest, until she notices that Ava looks ready to run. It’s not a move, it’s an anchor.

“None of these games mean anything without the fans. And I’ve always believed that this award is earned by those who interact directly with gamers on our behalf. The socials are more often than not where customers learn of the game. And we all know that TBG has been struggling to gain mass attention on those platforms. Well, that struggle has ended with this woman. I give you Ava Sharpe, the true reason for 2213’s Breakout success!”

Rip shifts Ava while he steps backwards, pushing her in front of the mic. Sara can see that she’s not prepared, her hands shaking as she grasps the mic stand. Ava’s eyes race across the crowd and Sara holds her breath when Ava makes eye contact with her and stops searching.

“Hi,” Ava says. Sara smiles. “Thank you. This award is so unexpected, and for TBG to give me any recognition is beyond what -” Ava coughs in a way that shows her nerves more than anything else, clearly too surprised to remember that she coughed mid-sentence. “I have to thank my coworkers at TBG. As someone told me once, the beauty of their work makes my job easy. And I have to acknowledge that, uh, it’s the challenges given by others, whether through cooperation or competitiveness, that, uh, help us all create greatness. Thank you.”

Sara lurches to her feet at the sound of the applause, clapping as Ava and Rip make their way down the stairs. Ava seems to be more in control, brushing off Rip’s guiding hand before turning to whisper something to him as they walk. When she reaches the row Sara watches her progress as best she can, standing with the TBG employees headless of the continuing ceremony on stage. It’s only when LoA is called as a contender for the next category that Sara faces forward again, her peers cheering to her right. The envelope is almost open when Ava reaches Sara with a flustered smile.

“Wait, you’re up?” Ava blinks at the stage as Sara pulls her down so they’re both sitting.

“Evidently,” says Sara. “I didn’t hear the category though.”

“Fan favorite,” says Zari from Sara’s other side.

“Thanks,” says Sara.

“Shush so we can hear!” Ava gives Sara the kind of smack you give a friend or lover, not a rival.

“League of Assassins by Legends!” The speaker yells the words into the microphone with a grin, kind of doing a dance in place as he looks out at the audience.

“Oh my god!” Ava shoves her shoulder against Sara as Sara starts to stand up and cheer, looking down the line of Legends employees to see who’s going up. For some reason the company sends Nora and Ray to the stage, both looking surprised and happy at the attention. Sara sits as the pair reach the mic, Ray stepping back politely so Nora can take the lead.

“We love our fans so much, thank you!” Nora’s words are higher pitched than normal as she speaks, rushed like Sara’s never heard. She watches Nora look over her shoulder for Ray as she talks about the wonder of found family, how they provide that for gamers and have built one themselves among their employees. It’s all a bit over the top for Sara, but she smiles up at Ray anyway as her friend watches Nora Darhk.

“That’s still going on?”

Rip’s voice pulls at Sara and she turns to him, a slight frown on her face. “What?”

“The tension between Palmer and Darhk?”

Sara rolls her eyes. “Try as we might, Rip, nothing doing.”

“It’s been years!”

Ava shifts in her seat, looking at Sara. “They’ve been swooning over one another for years?”

Sara sighs. “Yup.”

As Ray and Nora head back to the stairs Sara leans towards Ava. She brushes her lips against Ava’s ear, letting their hair hide the motion. “I’m proud of you, babe.”

Sara watches Ava turn to face her, a surprised smile sitting atop her pride. With a wink Sara takes out her phone to post about the newest win for Legends, listening as the final category of the night is announced.

Game of the Year.

“LoA. LoA.” The words are a whisper that Sara only hears because she’s shifting towards Ava in her seat. They’re a chant, willing League to be the winner. Sara wants to wrap her arms around Ava, to show the joy she feels at being here, next to Ava Sharpe. Instead she smiles at her lap and her empty hands.

“And the winner of the Game of the Year title,” reads the announcer, “is League of Assassins by Legends!”

“Ah!” The sound of cheering and whooping, clapping and straight up hollering next to Sara makes her mind fog for a second as she stands up, pulled into a three-person hug by Zari and Gideon.

“Can you believe it?” Zari shrieks the words in Sara’s ear, causing her to duck for a breath before shouting back.

“We won!”

There’s a tug at Sara’s shirt and suddenly she’s being hugged by Ava, the kind of full-bodied hug reserved for celebration with a loved one. Ava’s hands jump against Sara’s shoulders as they both kind of bounce in place for a second, forgetting about the crowd around them, and Sara plants a kiss against Ava’s cheek, dropping to her lips for just a moment. She shifts back, an apology on her lips, when she hears Ava yell out congratulations and gets pushed down the aisle after Zari. Suddenly Sara’s being pulled forward by her friends, dragged with the mass of people who are all of the Legends employees.

“What about the rules?” Sara isn’t asking anyone in particular and she’s surprised when she hears a response.

“Fuck the rules, we won Game of the Year!” It’s Jax, fist pumping into the air in triumph as he pulls Sara into a hug. She hugs him back, suddenly realizing as she releases him that she’s on stage. Her eyes find the crowd without trying and she’s looking, searching for that gold dress and that beautiful smile and when she finds it she feels a tear run down her cheek.

Ava’s here. They won. Sara’s allowing herself to feel pride and joy in her work, a sense of community with the people around her, that she’s told herself she doesn’t want. Sara sees her need for love and acceptance now, even as she feels Nora Darhk press a kiss to her cheek and squeeze her hand.

No one person is at the mic, they all are. Their speech is a jumble of yells and exclamations, taken in turn and barely forming coherent sentences. When Sara is shuffled along to speak she drops her eyes to the glittering piece of metal and freezes, remembering Ava’s speech and her own dread about the reporters.

“I love that I came here with you!” She yells the words, letting whoever’s listening figure out who she is and what she means. Sara shuffles along until she’s at the end of the stage, listening to Ray thank Nora, of all people, and she rolls her eyes. She finds Ava again and they grin at one another, Ava’s smile genuine and happy. Sara sees that Hank Heywood is also smiling.

What a great development.

When Sara gets to her seat she smiles again at Ava, giving up any pretense of hiding her feelings but keeping her actions in check. One kiss shared with a pretend stranger is more than enough.

“Why are you sitting down?” Rip reaches over and pulls Ava up by the elbow, standing at the same time himself. “It’s time for the afterparty!”

Sara and Ava give one another a look, knowing that the afterparty will mean more drinks and more temptation to kiss in public, but honestly Sara doesn’t mind. She will tell Ava that they can dance together, drink together, get a little raucous, whatever Ava wants.

“Sara!” Gideon reaches across Zari and grabs Sara’s arm, pulling her to her feet and almost into Zari. “Let’s go, girl.”

Sara stumbles after her friends, trying to shoot a look back to Ava but seeing that she’s already halfway down the row heading in the other direction.

“Sara Lance?”

The voice is that reporter from earlier. Her name swims around in Sara’s head, under a surface of seaweed and foam that Sara can’t penetrate. “Hi,” Sara says.

“Did you intend to go on stage?”

The question surprises Sara, absurd given Sara’s expression when she was up there but reasonable considering that the reporter is required to ask questions.

“Are you kidding?” Zari spins around to relieve Sara. “None of us expected to win, that was clearly a spontaneous stage rush.”

“First of my life,” adds Gideon with a grin.

“Same,” says Sara. She clears her throat. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m just going-”

“Oh, of course.” The reporter steps back and holds a hand up to Sara, like she’s offering a truce or looking for some kind of touch. “Enjoy your evening.”

Sara shakes her head, trying to get some focus. “Thank you, you too.”

“C’mon,” grumbles Zari. “We have to get to the bar before there’s a line.”

Of course they’re too late, but Sara doesn’t mind that the bar’s full. She’s taking in the room, so changed from when she came out here about forty minutes earlier to get drinks. There are high top tables sporadically spread, some complete with tall stools, and a sizable part of the short rug has been covered with tiles to create what is unmistakably a dance floor.

“We could dance while we wait for this damn line to disappear?” Zari is eyeing the dance floor too, her tone not one of desire but of resignation.

“And who would you partner,” says Gideon, “me or Sara?”

“I don’t want anyone’s wrath,” says Zari with a glance of Sara’s shoulder. “We could all dance together?”

Sara turns to look over her own shoulder too, hopeful, but there’s no sign of Ava.

“Maybe we could get Ray to join us?” Zari’s voice lifts as though she likes the idea of dancing with one her most enthusiastic, awkward friends.

“Sara, go.” Gideon shoves Sara in the direction of Ray, his figure easy to spot over those around him.

“Ray!” Sara raises her hand before she reaches him.

“Sara! Can you believe this?” Ray is standing with Nora, a couple of programmers, Mick, and Jax. “This is the first time we’ve won Game of the Year in, well, a few years.”

“Yeah, it’s great.” Sara would normally talk for a bit, make some excuse, then go back to her friends claiming that Ray has declined the invite. She’s done that often enough with other guys. But tonight she’s floating. The words she says are all right and the adrenaline of the awards, the alcohol, the rush of being around Ava in such a charged environment, have given her an uncharacteristic boldness. She grabs Ray’s wrist. “Come dance with us.”

“What?” Ray laughs. “Who’s us?”

Sara smirks. “You know who. Gideon. Zari. Me.” She takes in the rest of the people Ray’s standing with, most of whom seem put out by the idea of dancing. Sara stops looking when she sees Nora’s expression. “You should come too.”

“Me?” Nora glances at Ray before ducking her head. “I’m fine.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” She takes a step forward and touches Nora’s arm with her free hand. “It’s a celebration.”

Ray, don’t give her an out. Sara thinks the words as loud as she can as she ignores her tallest friend.

“Fine.” Nora runs her arm up to take Sara’s hand. “Lead the way.”

“Yes!” If Sara had a free hand she would fistpump. Instead she pulls Ray and Nora through the crowd to Gideon and Zari.

“Ray!” Zari throws her arms around the coder before noticing Nora. She immediately releases him and puts her hands behind her back. “Ms. Darhk.”

“If we’re going to dance together you might as well call me Nora.”

“Oh.” Zari steps forward and offers her arms to Nora, who pulls her into a stilted hug. “Come dance then!” When the hug ends Zari slips her hands to Nora’s wrists and pulls her, and Sara wonders for a moment if Nora resents being dragged around by her employees. That concern dissipates when she catches the look that Nora is giving Ray, one filled with surprise and happiness.

“I would say we should pair up so they can dance together, but we’d have an odd man out,” says Gideon to Sara. Sara nods as their group becomes the first to take to the floor, using their celebration as an excuse to remove the awkwardness from the moment. Some people around even start clapping for Legends.

The circle of dancers is ever shifting and changing for the first couple songs as people try to find their rhythm among this group. Sara swaps spaces twice in an attempt to get Ray and Nora to dance next to one another, then stops when she sees Zari’s disgruntled expression that says she’s been trying to do the same. They’ve been thwarting one another. At one point Sara, next to Nora, turns when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

“Make sure you sign the appropriate paperwork if you’re going to, you know, do anything with Sharpe.”

Sara almost stops dancing. “What?” She eyes Nora, convinced she must have misheard that long and very specific sentence.

Nora moves closer to Sara before speaking again. “I’ve seen the way you two are acting. You’re both adults, and honestly I could do with a little less animosity towards such a strong up and coming company.”

“Oh,” says Sara. “Not on the socials though.”

Nora throws her head back in what seems to be a genuine moment of mirth. “Never. I’m only saying this because we have paperwork for this type of thing. And I’ve known you for what, five years? I’ve never seen you smile like that at any of the dates you’ve brought to the company outings.”

“They’re all dull,” says Sara without thinking.

“It seems Sharpe is anything but.”

Sara smiles, once again following the instinct of this unprecedented night. “Neither is Ray, you know. He’s a good guy.”

Nora smiles for a moment, then schools her expression. “I suspect as much.”

“You should go for it,” says Sara. She gives Nora a bemused look. “After you sign the paperwork.”

“Shut up,” says Nora. “I’m still your boss.” There’s another smile though.

“Yes ma'am.” Sara shifts away, around Zari, and watches Gideon move to the center of the circle so that Ray and Nora are alongside one another.

“Hey,” a voice calls, near Sara’s elbow. She spins quickly, expecting Ava, impossible to recognize a voice over the music. “Can I have this dance?” The reporter from earlier has a drink in hand this time, not a notebook.

No, Sara thinks before she has a chance to open her mouth. Zari, on the other hand, sees this as an opportunity to pair off Ray and Nora. “Sara if you dance with her I can dance with Gids, and these two can dance together!” Her voice carries and Sara knows that Ray hears, at least. For his part he looks surprised, but not hurt. Maybe a little shy.

“Come on,” the journalist says, grabbing Sara’s free hand and giving a tug.

“I’m-”

Sara doesn’t need to continue when Ava appears at her side. “I brought you a drink,” she says to Sara, seemingly not noticing the reporter.

“Thanks,” says Sara, removing her hand from the reporter and accepting the glass. She glances at the reporter briefly, who takes that as her cue, evidently.

“Ava Sharpe,” she says. “I was just going to take Miss Lance for a dance. I do have questions for-”

“No,” Ava says. She turns back to Sara. “You promised me your first dance.”

Sara glances around and notices that the three of them are the only ones on the dance floor who aren’t moving. She holds her drinkless hand out to Ava. “I did,” she says in the direction of the reporter, an apologetic note to her voice.

“I noticed you sitting together,” says the reporter. “I would expect, given your rivalry, that you wouldn’t get along.”

“And I would expect, given your profession, that it’s not cool for you to flirt with an interviewee,” says Ava.

“Sorry,” says Sara to the reporter again. “I’m gonna dance with her.”

Sara lets Ava take her hand and pull her as close as is appropriate for two new acquaintances who are interested in one another. They balance their drinks together as they move away. “I wasn’t trying to flirt with her,” says Sara.

“I know. She was looking at you earlier, when you went to get us drinks. It doesn’t help that you Tweeted a pic of her.” Ava shakes her head with a chuckle. “I think she really is into you. Terrible for her line of work.”

“Oh, and it’s so perfect for you to like me?” Sara takes a sip of her drink, almost spilling some as they sway.

“I checked the rules,” Ava says. “It’s fine.” Sara doesn’t think she’s joking.

“Of course you did, babe.”

“Hey, look.” Ava nods her head over Sara’s shoulder and they shift in a way that lets them both see. Zari and Gideon are dancing in a silly, effortless way that makes their friendship clear while Ray and Nora, hands touching, are leaving plenty of room for whatever deity might need to make an appearance.

“Let’s help them.” Sara guides Ava in her arms until they’re near Ray and Nora, and with a pause so they land on the beat Sara trips backwards into Nora, pushing her against Ray. Sara’s drink does spill this time and Sara curses her slightly drunken and completely adrenalined out mind for not thinking about that. The alcohol is on both her and Ava, sticky and cold.

“I’m sorry,” Ava says to Ray and Nora, but she might as well be speaking to herself. The couple in question are still dancing, untouched by Sara’s drink or the fact that they could move apart. Instead they’re looking at one another with clear joy in their eyes.

“Ugh, why’d we help them?” Sara lets go of Ava’s hip to wipe at the alcohol on Ava’s arm.

“Because we’re nice,” says Ava. She drops her voice so Sara has to step into her space to hear the next part. “And even covered in booze you look great.”

“I’m not covered in booze,” says Sara. She gives up on the wiping to put her hand back on Ava, this time wrapping around her a bit to touch her back, pulling Ava closer. “I’m only a quarter covered. And I’m sorry for spilling it on you.”

“I don’t mind.” Ava smiles. “After this song we can go to the bathroom. We probably shouldn’t be drinking and dancing anyway.”

“You’re right.” Sara raises her glass, tilts it to Ava, and downs the remainder of her beverage, about half of what she was given.

“Cheers,” responds Ava. She finishes hers too and when they leave the floor they put both glasses on a table and head to the restroom to get cleaned up.

As the night winds down Sara finds herself swaying closer and closer to Ava, wrapped in her arms. These songs aren’t the same type from the bar. Instead of feeling a heady sexy rush she feels safe, intimate, wanted. Sara lets Ava lead for a while, then leads herself, and they go back and forth, sharing both the joy of being held and the strength that comes with holding.

“I can’t believe it,” says Ava softly into Sara’s ear. “That reporter is coming back.”

“God.” Sara turns and almost shifts into the woman before she and Ava stop dancing.

“Miss Lance,” the reporter says. “Sharpe.”

Sara, still unsure of her name, nods.

“You are?” Ava’s question, while perhaps unnecessarily pointed, gets the job done.

“Helena Miller. I interviewed Sara when she came in.”

Sara’s annoyed now. Miller says she interviewed her like it was intentional, like this noob had any idea who Sara was before Sara opened her mouth and told her.

“I’m just wondering if we could have that dance?” Miller is smiling and Sara imagines, for a moment, that she is a person of violence. She could knock out one tooth, at least.

Ava looks at Sara and must see something because, with a shit-eating grin, she removes her hands from Sara. “You have fun,” she says.

“Ava, you-” Jerk. She lets her vague annoyance roll into her eyes. Honestly thought she’d do the same thing to Ava if the situation were reversed.

“We will.” Miller takes Sara’s hand and guides her a few steps away from Ava, who doesn’t move from her spot. Sara shoots her girlfriend a pleading look before turning to the reporter, letting the woman put a hand on Sara’s hip. “This can be off the record, if you’d like.”

“Aren’t I supposed to ask for that?” Sara doesn’t make eye contact with Miller, instead looking over her shoulder for any other Legends employees.

“If you’re going to tell me something particularly personal,” says Miller. She clearly thinks she’s getting somewhere. “I thought I’d clear the way for you.”

“I don’t want you to clear the way,” says Sara. She turns, pulling Miller into a slight spin with the music.

“Because of Sharpe? She’s your rival and, I hear, a player. She’s not suited to handle you.”

Sara almost snorts at the description. “I’m more of a player than Ava,” she says without thinking, then she pauses. “That’s absolutely off the record.”

“We could have dinner off the record too,” says Miller. “Tomorrow night?”

“I’m busy,” says Sara. There’s Gideon, dancing with Z. And behind them, bent down a bit to whisper in an ear, is Ray. Sara smiles when she notices that the ear belongs to Nora Darhk.

Miller must misinterpret her smile. “Another night then. When are you free?”

“I’m not,” says Sara. She sighs. “You seem nice enough but I’m not interested in dating a reporter.”

“Oh.” Miller lets her body slow with the end of the song, hands still clutching Sara. “I suppose that’s my scoop then.”

“What?” Sara pulls her eyebrows together. “I gave you the biggest scoop in the form of me being here.”

“But now I know that you’re into Ava Sharpe. A star-crossed love or some bullshit. Readers eat that up even more than recluses who inexplicably take to the stage.”

Sara stands, waiting for her anger to rise. Instead she just feels tired. Tired, and a bit tipsy. “Fine. Print whatever you want. Have a good night, Miss Miller.” Without another look Sara pulls herself out of the reporter’s grip and turns to find Ava.

Outside in the parking lot, Sara and Ava hug, Ava even turning to kiss Sara’s cheek. Although they’re not going home together they will be sleeping in the same bed. She grins when the TBG and Legends employees around them cheer drunken approval of their intimacy.

Seems that more and more rivals are feeling the urge to become friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sara's section alone is longer than many of my other chapters. Whoops!
> 
> Sorry this was a bit delayed - I had a great time hanging out with Michele for her birthday though! We didn't go anywhere 'cause we're not about that life in the time of Covid but we did talk a lot, watching movies, play games, and generally hang out. And I made lasagna, her favorite food.
> 
> But enough about me, I want to thank YOU! Thanks for reading and commenting. I truly appreciate your enthusiasm. <3
> 
> Best,  
> Erin


	27. Living in the Moment and Looking Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. That's all you need to know, really.
> 
> Well, that and this CW:
> 
> ***This chapter does contain a bit of sexy times. To skip it don't read past when A and S talk about giving a t-shirt for Gary in the Ava section. Sara's section doesn't contain any sex.

**Ava:**

“Hey babe.”

“Hey yourself.” Sara’s voice is soft and quiet, and Ava can hear her the staccato clacking of a keyboard in the background.

“I thought you were on lunch?”

“I am.” Sara’s voice turns into a chuckle. “Are you telling me you don’t eat at your desk almost every day?”

Ava taps a finger against her own keyboard, the space quiet since Gary and the others who sit near her have gone to the breakroom. She glances at the marketing campaign she has on screen for their next launch, a modification to a mobile game that is set to release in two months.

“Did you see the article that Miller whatever finally wrote?” Sara asks.

Raising her eyes to her screen again, Ava swaps tabs to stare at the article in question. “You mean the hit piece against you, posted two whole weeks after the event it’s supposedly about?”

Sara laughs and Ava can’t help the smile that the sound draws onto her face. “It’s not that bad. Although she does seem particularly dubious of my relationship with you.”

“‘Ava Sharpe was in attendance, drawing the unmitigated attention of Miss Lance and effectively ending what was to be a long and detailed interview for this article. There is speculation as to the nature of the relationship between the two, with some believing that Sharpe hopes to hitch the TBG wagon to the shooting star that is Legends with no regard for Miss Lance herself.’ Outside of the horrible writing I don’t see anything amiss with that statement.”

“Sure you don’t.” Sara clucks. “Also of note: She didn’t mention who won any of the awards.”

“I noticed. I guess she figured everyone would know by now if they read, oh, any other source of news.”

“Wow Shape, that’s mean.” Sara’s voice is suddenly sharper, tinged with a heat Ava recognizes. “Mean, but I like it.”

“Stop, we’re at work.”

“On lunch break,” Sara counters. “But I have to ask, is Legends pulling TBG up fast enough to suit you?”

“Oh, plenty.” Ava picks up her fork, forgotten in the conversation. “Although I’m getting a bit distracted from my self-serving mission.”

“Distracted, huh?”

“Yup.” Ava stabs her fork into the fruit salad she’s having with her sandwich. “Hang on a second.” Putting down her phone, Ava balances the fork with the speared piece of melon and moves the sandwich closer. She opens the camera on her phone and snaps a photo, then sends it to Sara. When she brings the phone back to her ear Sara’s chuckling.

“Did you just text me?”

“Absolutely not.”

“‘SharperDirectives, Image,’” reads Sara. “Looks like you sent me something.” There’s a pause and Ava closes her eyes to imagine Sara’s face. “Babe what the hell? I made that damn sandwich for you, I remember what it looks like!” As Sara finishes speaking they both start laughing, enamored with the joke from before they started dating. When Sara slows down she breathes a sigh. Ava eyes her computer monitor again.

“Does the article bother you, Sara?”

“Hmm. Not as much as I thought it would.”Ava hears rustling and realizes that Sara’s getting ready to eat. “And I can get a lot of good leverage out of it on the socials.”

Ava picks up her fork again and puts the melon in her mouth while she contemplates her response. “Are you sure you want to draw attention to it?”

“Eh, it’s already all over my mentions. I might as well use it for something good, right?”

“I suppose.” Ava stabs a grape and feels suddenly grumpy. “This is so far from what you wanted for your private life.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Ava hears Sara bite her own sandwich, the same type as the one on Ava’s desk. “I think what I get out of it is pretty great.”

Ava shakes her head at the implication. “Recognized on the streets?” No social media managers ever get recognized.

“You. A stronger sense of community with my coworkers.” There’s a pause and then Sara is making a gagging sound. “Oh god, who even am I? A stronger sense of - what did I say?”

“Community.” Ava laughs over the word and her girlfriend’s antics.

“Do you have plans for tonight?’

The sudden change of topic stops Ava short, causing her to drop the fork and run her hand through her hair. “I was going to stop in on my girlfriend,” she starts. “It’d be late though ‘cause I have to shoot a livestream at eight.”

“Hmm,” says Sara. “You could record it here while I get some of my own work done in a different room.”

“What would be the point of that?”

Sara’s voice gets a bit higher as she responds. “Immediate cuddles when we’re done. Cuddles and, you know, maybe something else.”

“Aren’t there people around you?”

Sara scoffs, causing Ava to duck her head down and grin as though Sara can see. “No one’s listening. Besides, everyone knows we’re together.”

“Thank god,” says Ava. She leans back against her chair and sighs into the phone. “I should let you actually eat.”

“Are you calling yourself a distraction? ‘Cause I was under the impression that I’m the distraction in this relationship.”

“We’re both distracting,” says Ava. “Now hang up so we can both eat and get back to work.”

“Fine. I have to come up with a good insult for you by three anyway.”

“Hmm.” Ava thinks for a moment. “You could say that I’m annoyingly hot.” For all of Ava’s talk about getting off the phone she finds herself shifting to brace her elbow on her desk, getting more comfortable.

“I don’t want to be that truthful. Besides, gamers would expect a picture and it’d all go downhill from there.”

“We wouldn’t want to dirty the Legends legacy with discussion of me.”

“No, it’d interfere with you riding my coattails.”

“Nothing could stop me from- Shit! Gary!” Ava spins in her chair to take in her coworker, that goofy smile that makes her both happy and aggravated firmly in place. He’s leaning right next to her ear as though trying to listen to the call too.

“Gary showed up?” Sara sounds almost as put out as Ava feels.

“Yes,” says Ava into the phone. “Move,” she says to Gary.

“Is that Miss Lance on the phone?” Gary looks pompous in his own way. He shifts backwards.

“Yes,” says Ava. “Not that it’s your business.”

“Five more minutes,” says Gary. “I know you’re in the throws of a brand new something, but you haven’t eaten your food.”

“Why is everyone so concerned with what I eat?” Ava shoves a grape into her mouth while glaring at Gary.

“Yes, the care of friends and loved ones is so off-putting,” says Sara. “I’ll let you go though. See you tonight at?”

“Six,” says Ava. She smiles into the phone as Gary shifts back to his desk.

“Six,” Sara repeats, sounding pleased. 

Ava takes a large bite of the sandwich and sits back in her chair. She thinks about the afternoon ahead. Continuing to build the campaign, prepping her analytics into graphs to send over to Rip, keeping an eye on the various socials, monitoring reactions to that mind numbing article, meeting with Bennet about taking pictures of some of the stores he’ll stop at for promotionals to convince him to take pictures for Ava.

The afternoon goes pretty much as planned, with one small detour for some cake in the breakroom and a completely out of tune rendition of Happy Birthday for one of the coders that Gary insists on practically screeching throughout. Before Ava knows it she is sitting on Twitch, moving her fingers over a keyboard that’s plugged into her laptop. The two monitors Sara’s letting her use are helpful within 2213, allowing her to notice more details and see more of the team she plays with. She reaches the rendezvous point agreed upon with the other players, an upturned car that has scorch marks covering its hood. She crouches her character down, hiding in case the incoming feet belong to enemies.

“I’m on your six Sharpe.” The voice belongs to Wikkan, one of the presenters from IGMA, speaks over Ava’s headset in a calm, assertive voice.

“Thanks Wix. Anyone else with you?”

This is the third time they’ve played together and not only is it great for both of their channels, it’s fun. Plus the gamers that have been trying to push Ava and Sara together have backed off a bit, obviously confused at the prospect of a male-female friendship. Ava rolls her eyes at their stupidity.

“No, we’re good. A few tagalongs got snapped up by some mind-controlled clones near the spawn point. I think they’ll catch up.”

“Rude.” The voice of Retchett, one of the randos in their ever-changing band of players, comes clear. “I sacrifice myself and that’s the thanks I get?”

Ava scoffs audibly. The male ego.

“Chill, dude.” Wikkan sounds like he might be smiling, but Ava doesn’t know him well enough to be certain. “Knock down your pride and keep your eyes out. Don’t die again before you catch us.”

“Yeah Retch.” Kim, short for Kimbooop16. This is her second run with Ava’s group. “Chill or I’ll be the one to kill you again. Oh, and I’m here Sharpe.” The threat isn’t idle. The first time they played together she annayalated three gamers on their team who couldn’t keep their inappropriate thoughts to themselves. That’s why Ava invited her to game again.

Playing with strangers, or people you screen via a phone call, is tricky because one never knows what someone will blurt out on a livestream. But Ava likes the pressure and hasn’t had an altercation that she, or now Kim, haven’t been able to shut down and discuss on the socials in a way that highlights 2213.

Ava smirks when she glances at the clock to judge her time. “We have ten minutes, troops.” She forces air between gritted teeth, making herself sound tough while also expelling some of her excitement. “Better run, yeah?”

“Yup,” says Kim. Retch just makes his character, Lincoln, run without responding. Ava moves Lexa from her crouch to a standing run, brandishing her sword as she moves. She comes up angled to Retch’s right, Kim flanking his other side to make a formidable sight. Other players shift out of their way without pause until they reach their destination.

“Surprise!” The call is loud and throaty through Ava’s headset as Lexa enters a room, decorated as well as any space in 2213 can be. Ava spins Lexa around to look. There are crates stacked and sprayed with the paint cans that gamers are meant to use to mark trails that take them away from the mapped sections of the world, clearly shitty stand-ins for balloons. There’s cake in the form of energy bars, normally scattered throughout the game but in this version piled up together in what can be called an attempt at style.

“What the hell is this?” Ava’s question isn’t as stilted as it might have been before she joined 2213.

“It’s been six months since you joined TBG!” The voice belongs to Gary, whose character she sees standing by a particularly garish green and pink crate.

“Oh,” says Ava. She looks around and notices the names of other characters, taking in the fact that most are TB Gaming employees. Ava flushes when she notices one exception, a character at the back with Legends floating above her head. Ava doesn’t say anything about Sara’s presence though, instead walking Lexa around to her coworkers and giving them the equivalent of an in-game hug: a sort of lean that happens when two characters stand too close together. Ava smiles when she reads the viewer comments, noting that most have changed from questions or thoughts on the game to well wishes and button smashes wishing her a happy anniversary. She keeps an eye on the rapidly appearing text until she sees what she’s looking for.

_Legends: Of course you get an in-game party with freakin’ shit-ass 2213 wanna-be cake._

Ava lets her character stand in place for a moment as takes a screenshot and pulls up her photo editor. She modifies it a bit, highlighting that particular line, and Tweets it out with her own response. _Of course you’d notice, @Legends. Stalker much?_

Without refreshing for replies Ava switches back to the game, continuing to thank her online friends while thinking about the minutes counting down. She’s almost ready to tell them all to fuck off and have a good night when her phone distracts her. Brrrrrph. Brrrrrrph. The texts come with barely ten seconds between each message.

CaptDiesMore2  
  
it’s not stalking if u’r voluntarily in my apt.  
  
No one knows I’m here  
  
Much less whether it’s voluntary or not  
  
but i know  
  
🙄  
  
u done yet?  
  
Oh my god you’re in the game with me.  
  
i’m hungry. just sayin’  
  
Then leave me alone so I can log off  
  
is that what the kids call it these days?  
  
I hate you.  
  
See you in a sec.  
  
💗  
  


Once Ava’s offline she turns off her laptop, unplugs the monitors and keyboard, and stows it in her bag. She leaves the room to see Sara, lounging in the hall, stepping towards Ava.

“Hey babe,” Sara says. She slips her arms around Ava’s waist and Ava, with a smile, leans into the touch. Sara’s wearing a robe and Ava shivers when she reaches a hand inside to feel that there's no clothing underneath.

“I thought you were hungry?” Ava smiles before she leans to kiss Sara’s temple.

“There are many types of hunger,” says Sara. “Hunger for food, art, ideas.” She kisses Ava’s neck before speaking again. “Sex.”

“Is this my six-month-aversary present? Who celebrates six months of anything, anyway?”

“Stop, you loved it.” Sara reaches for Ava’s hand and pulls her down the hall towards her room.

“This could be my gift for any occasion,” says Ava. “You’re always more than enough.”

“God you’re corny when you’re horny.”

“I want that on a shirt,” says Ava. “I can give it to Gary.”

“Watch out, he’d actually wear a shirt that said that if it came from you.”

Ava snorts. “I think you’re right.” She stops Sara at the door, hand on Sara’s shoulder under the soft robe. “Let’s not talk about Gary right now.”

“Oh, I agree. Let’s maybe not talk at all.” Sara reaches up to put her hand on Ava’s, using her other to untie the robe, leaving it on her shoulders as she backs into her bedroom. Neither bother to close the door as Sara pushes Ava onto the bed, immediately moving to pull off Ava’s shirt. Ava lets her, pulling Sara a bit towards her body before the shirt is flung across the room. Sara then shifts to sit on Ava’s lap, allowing the open robe to fall from her shoulders to her elbows.

Ava doesn’t move. Instead she watches, taking in Sara’s soft swaying on Ava’s lap. Sara’s thighs are resting against Ava’s, her hands resting at the back of Ava’s neck. Sara arches her back and Ava still watches, raising her eyebrows and dropping her mouth open without meaning to as Sara’s breasts are exposed by the half fallen robe. Ava imagines lowering her head to lick along the line of one breast, about teasing and coxing Sara into action. A retaliation for the taunting dance, played out on warmed skin. Instead Ava waits, thinking that Sara wants to be in charge this time.

“Is this okay?” Sara asks the question quietly, a recognition that this is still a matter of trust despite the number of times they’ve been together.

“Yes,” whispers Ava. She watches Sara move her torso in a continuation of the dance, knowing that Sara is giving Ava a show. Sara wants to see the desire and helplessness running across Ava’s expression, and Ava lets her.

In a moment of thoughtlessness Ava raises her hand to Sara’s side, tugging the robe further down. Sara lifts herself on her knees to let Ava pull the cloth out from under Sara’s bent legs, to allow it to drop to the floor. Sara raises her hands up into Ava’s hair and pulls Ava’s head forward, letting Ava’s mouth drop onto Sara’s chest. Ava responds with a moan, one she doesn’t want to contain, and begins kissing Sara’s skin. Sara shifts back a bit and Ava feels herself following the motion, wanting to stay with Sara. She sighs when Sara drops a hand to her shoulder and pushes her back.

“Let me,” says Sara. Ava waits as Sara puts her hands to Ava’s pants and begins to take them off. When Ava lifts her hips to help Sara’s efforts Sara smiles, and once the pants are off Sara pulls Ava’s legs over the edge of the bed. Sara grins as she drops to her knees, head between Ava’s thighs. “Ready?” Ava’s braced up on her elbows, allowing her to see the pleased grin on Sara’s lips.

“Oh,” is all Ava gets out before Sara kisses Ava’s left leg. Ava’s surprise becomes a moan as Sara’s tongue edges its way up Ava’s leg, her hands spreading Ava open.

“You look like you’re ready,” says Sara. Ava notices that Sara’s voice is serious, low and throaty. It makes Ava quirk her hips a bit, inviting and hopeful. She scoots backwards at the feel of Sara’s tongue against her, almost moving away before Sara’s hands wrap around Ava’s legs, pulling her hips to the end of the bed again. “Stay,” says Sara. “Please.”

“Mmm.” Ava nods as she drops her elbows so her upper body falls flat against the bed. Sara begins working her tongue and Ava swears she can feel every twirl, press, and flick. Ava settles into the rhythm of Sara’s motion, letting her hips pull back and up into Sara. Occasionally Ava jerks unexpectedly, feeling a fire that she can’t fight against.

“I love how you taste,” says Sara. The words are vibrations into Ava, thoughts that become indecipherable inside Ava’s mind. All Ava knows is that Sara is talking, speaking something meaningful and beautiful and full of hot promise and that Ava will accept and cherish every feeling that Sara gives. After a while Ava feels Sara’s motions become more intentional, building to a rush within the rhythm she set out earlier. Ava basks in it, running a hand alongside Sara’s head but not pulling or keeping her in place. Letting Sara decide how long she wants to be there, how much she wants to break Ava against the power of Sara’s tongue.

When Ava comes the feeling is all lost control and unmapped electricity, riding throughout Ava’s body in a way that makes her twitch in bursts against Sara. Sara remains with Ava, steadying her as best she can while Ava moans out her feelings. The moment is long, protracted by Sara’s breath against Ava’s sensitive nerves and the growing fire in Ava’s heart. Once Ava stills Sara backs up, wiping her face against the sheet before climbing into the bed to lay alongside Ava. They both breathe as though they’ve been racing which, in a way, Ava supposes they have.

“Who won that time?”

The question has become a regular part of their sex, a reminder of their shared competativeness and desire to get one another off. The meaning changes each time it’s asked, Ava thinks, and this time she’s confident when she gasps out her answer, caught in a tremble that seems to come from her bones.

“We both did.”

“Agreed,” says Sara. Ava feels her girlfriend snuggle further against her side to kiss at her jaw and Ava wonders, for a moment, where they’ll be in a year. She wants to be here, in Sara’s arms, and she thinks that perhaps she will be. This feels real and right in a way that nothing ever has.

**Sara:**

2213 is bright. The weather in the game seems to be mid-summer, encouraging the May sunlight in the real world to hurry up and become blistering. Sara moves her avatar around the screen in circles, aimlessly, as she waits. After a minute or so she checks for an invite and finds one. Her version of Lexa, dressed in clothing that matches those worn by the Legends account’s Clarke in LoA, runs towards the group she’s joining.

“Sharpe,” Sara speaks into her mic and wonders if Ava’s gotten used to hearing Sara’s actual voice come through. “About time.”

“Shut up.” Ava’s voice is light as Sara watches her character move into frame. “Are you here to whine or play the game?”

“I can multitask,” Sara says. She watches as another character, a version of Anya, appears nearby.

“Psyche here,” says the player. Sara smiles at the words. “Ready to fuck shit up.”

“That’s not the mission.” Ava sounds amused.

“Yeah, but it’s more exciting when things don’t go to plan.” Psyche runs her character in a circle, pulling out twin swords light enough for fast fighting as she moves.

“You always say that, but you’re the first to try and salvage whatever plans we have as they go to shit.” A new voice, Sam. Another of the three women that Sara and Ava once watched play in the middle of the night. Her character, Indra, hefts a broadsword.

“You’re not supposed to tell Sharpe and Lance that,” says Psyche.

‘Why can’t I find Nat?” Ava cuts through the banter.

“Oh, she had to make a different handle in this game. I’ll send it to you.”

Sara waits, knowing that Ava is copying the name from the chat into the invite screen.

“Finally!” Nat sounds ecstatic. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.” She’s Niylah.

Sara glances at the comments while she begins to run Lexa towards the southwest corner of the map. They already have over forty thousand viewers. The comments from viewers become discordant as those playing quiet down to move towards the southwest edge of the game map.

_Bet these ladies are a good time._

_R U ALL IN THE SAME TIME ZONE???_

_sara lance marry me today please i’ll come out to my parents for you_

_I love that you’re all playing as chicks_

_show me how to beat the level with the seven guards pleeease_  


Sara shakes her head. These comments all seem separate from her and Ava. These people don’t know them, not truly, and there’s no reason for Sara to feel anything beyond mild amusement at their statements. She watches Ava’s character running forward, the TB Gaming tag marking the account above her head, and smiles. This is the second time they’ve gamed together, bridging the divide between the two companies but maintaining their perceived dislike of one another. Like when a company comes at Legends for some promotional ire, the arrangement benefits both groups.

Convincing Nora to allow the shared livestream wasn’t difficult after Sara shared the growing numbers attached to TBG that don’t overlap with Legends. By playing together, competitively and cooperatively, both companies are gaining new audiences.

Sara smiles when she sees a train and five clones dressed as guards. They haven’t discussed how to proceed yet, only which mission they would attempt.

“Any ideas?” Ava’s voice comes through strong, in charge but seeking guidance like a skilled leader would. Using the resources available.

“Thought you had this,” says Sara, a layer of sarcasm in her tone.

“Thought I’d let you have a shot at brilliance,” Ava says back. “Good to know you haven’t suddenly become capable.”

“Geeze, get a room.” Nat is quick to shift her character in the direction of the clones, as near as she can get without being spotted and killed. “You’re sure we can’t just end them?”

“Positive,” says Sara and Ava at the same time. Sara grins into her microphone.

“They’re clones,” says Ava. She equips a helmet and Sara notes that Lexa’s hair does come to the same length as the hair that’s loosely worn by some of the wanna-be guards.

“Hmm, seem to be.” Psyche brings her character back to stand near Sara’s. “Truly no great ideas, Legends?”

Sara makes her version of Lexa take out her weapons, a knife in one hand and a sword in the other. “We could knock them out with the hilts of our weapons,” she says.

“Is that all? Or do we have to break whatever is causing them to act like guards?” Sam’s question gives Sara pause.

“There is a solution that might work” says Ava. “Hang on.”

Ater a moment Sara blinks. The game is paused and she’s staring at the inside of a travel pack that doesn’t belong to her character.

“This is what I mean.” Ava’s voice comes through the speakers as a vile is selected. The illustration on the glass shows a crude depiction of a brain with a needle sticking out of it.

“Where the hell did you find that?” Nat sounds impressed. Sara glances at the comments.

_I haven’t seen that before?_

_fuckin’ cheater probably got it coded into her damn pack_

“I’ll show you.” Ava starts moving again, coming to the start of the mission. “But first we should test it.”

Sara watches Ava go through the dialogue to select the mission. Within seconds Ava jumps out and jabs a needle, no doubt connected to the vial, into one of the clone’s necks. The train hasn’t moved as the NPC drops to her knees, shakes her head twice, then stands up. She removes her helmet as Ava lunges forward to kill one of the other clones.

“Why’d you do that?” Sam sounds like she thinks Ava’s lost her marbles.

“I only had one vial,” says Ava. “No point in continuing a mission I can’t win. The box at the top showing my targets marked one off as complete, so we know it works.”

“Damn,” says Sara. She shifts her character from side to side, just for something to do.

“There are more?”

“Yup.” Ava turns and starts leading the group away from the transport mission. As they go Psyche suggests they do an impromptu Q and A with the comments.

“C’mon,” she says when Ava balks at the suggestion. “This is boring and questions are rolling in already.”

Sara laughs when she looks at the comments again, noting that there are indeed a few questions already interspersed with viewer thoughts.

“See? Lance is down.” And so, Sara thinks, is Sam.

“Fine.” Ava sighs into the mic in what must be an exaggerated fashion. “Bring on the questions.”

“Ok, let me start.” Psyche is quiet for a moment, maybe trying to find the perfect opener. “Ha, here. ‘Who do you prefer, Lexa or Clarke?’”

“Of course that’s your first one,” says Sam. There’s a note of joy in her voice.

“Neither,” says Nat. “I prefer Oliver Queen.”

“Really?” Sara’s surprise comes through and she internally curses herself. She knows Oliver is a popular character, he gets loads of mentions on Twitter, in Discord, and on other platforms every day. There are a great many fanart pieces dedicated to the guy too.

‘Duh, he’s hot.” Nat laughs. “You don’t think so?”

“Lance is more into characters named for birds.” Ava must be smirking.

“Oh my god you like Raven?” Psyche laughs. “Of course you do, she’s snarky and suicidal.”

“She’s assertive,” says Sara. “And smart.”

The comment section jumps with new messages, moving too fast to read.

“Answer the damn question,” says Nat.

“I like them both,” says Ava diplomatically. “Although Lexa would win in a fight.”

There’s a snort, and it takes Sara a second to figure out that it’s from Sam. “Like they’d fight. They have such a strong fanbase it’d be a shame if they didn’t just smash.”

“They can smash after they fight,” says Nat, “‘cause my money’s on Lexa.” She maneuvers her character towards some debris and stops to search it.

“This shit is so far away,” says Sam. “Are we almost there?”

“Yeah,” says Ava. “It’s over this ridge.”

“Why didn’t we use a transport spot?” Nat sounds vaguely annoyed.

“You all seemed down for a run,” says Ava. Sara wonders if that was really why. Maybe there’s a glitch with multi-character transportation from one part of the game to another. She can investigate after this mission, launch an attack on the socials if something’s wrong. TBG and Leends are still competitors, after all.

“Sara, what’s your answer?” Psyche turns her character towards Sara, hitting her shoulder as the two run. “Lexa or Clarke?”

“What do you think?” Sara snorts.

“Raven,” says Ava with a chuckle.

“Check yourself, Sharpe.” Sara slows Lexa as they reach a building with overgrown patches of grass dotting the walkway to the entrance. “I like Clarke.”

“Weak,” says Sam. “You can’t just pick your own-”

“I didn’t,” says Sara. “Clarke is strong and determined. She can fight, sure, but she can also use wit and charm to find a solution to any problem. She’s more than a swinging sword and she’s not afraid to break the rules.”

“So is Lexa,” Ava says. “She’s tactical and commanding.”

“Okay,” says Nat. “Where’s the goods?”

“This way.” Ava leads the group into the building, turning down a corridor before removing a panel from a wall. Sara watches Ava’s Lexa duck to crawl through the tunnel and follows swiftly. The space opens up after about a minute of movement into a dark room. The tunnel drops them onto the wall, about seven feet up, with nothing to stand on but a ledge about the length of Lexa’s shoe.

“What the hell is this?” Sam’s words from behind Sara echo her own thoughts.

“I’m not sure,” says Ava. “I followed a clone in here once and she stood on the ledge until she fell.”

Sara squints at the screen, shifting her perspective until she can see that the ground of the darkened room is littered with corpses. “That’s fucked up,” Sara says.

“Yeah, well.” Ava turns her character to face the wall and jumps, much to Sara’s surprise. Ava’s Lexa clings to another ledge and scrambles up as only a character in a video game could while weighed down with a sword on her back.

This has to be part of a different mission. Sara follows Ava, the characters jumping and climbing up onto three new ledges before they reach another tunnel. They crawl through and at the end find themselves in a room full of vials. One look shows that most are the same type Ava used, brain and needle visible even in the dim light.

“Everyone take a few,” Sara says. “If any of us get killed the remaining of our group outta still be able to complete the mission.”

“And if we fail we don’t want to have to come back here before trying again.” Ava adds.

“I’m taking twenty,” says Nat. She walks over to a table and a bunch of the vials disappear into her bag.

Once they’re stocked up the group leaves the room the same way they came in. Psyche almost falls on the return clamber down the ledges, but Sam grabs her arm before she joins the dead clones that line the floor.

“Back to the Q and A,” says Nat once they’re back outside. “‘Are you ever going to date?’”

“We are dating,” says Psyche. “You know that answer, Nat.”

“I think she means-” Sara pauses. “Wait, who’s dating?”

“Me, Sam, and Nat.” Psyche says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. One glance at the comments shows that this is a surprise to most of the Legends and TBG fans.

“That’s a hundred percent not what they’re asking,” says Nat.

“God, this conversation is boring.” Psyche pulls her weapon, a longsword that doesn’t look as heavy as the one held by Indra. “C’mon, who wants to fight?”

"You're suggesting a battle?" Nat sounds unbelieving. "Normally you're all about the mission." Despite her tone Nat pulls out her weapon.

"I'm suggesting we do something besides yammer about nonsense." Sara realizes, in that moment, that Psyche is giving her and Ava an out. She watches as Psyche's character removes a thin blade and throws it towards Ava, threatening but not deadly. "Are you all afraid of a little friendly battle?"

The clash of metal is behind Sara. Before she can turn she sees that Niylah has taken a fighting stance towards Ava, Sara rolling her eyes as Ava has her Lexa put up her fists. Before Sara can devise a plan to refocus on the mission the group has devolved into a mess of hurled sharp objects and insults. She blocks Ava from a left hook by Niylah, who hasn’t taken out her blades again, before realizing that she should probably be fighting against Ava. Every person for themselves. Sara swings at Ava in a high arch.

“Hold still, you bastard!” Sara isn’t sure who Sam is yelling at but her volume increase is absurd.

“What the hell are we doing?” Ava’s voice cuts across the sound of brutality within the game. Sara watches as Sam’s character, Indra, is cut through the middle by Psyche.

“Letting off some steam,” says Nat.

“We could be completing the mission,” says Ava. She makes a wild stab at Sara, who steps back to avoid the cut. Maybe Sara should have started fighting one of the other players instead because she doesn’t want to hurt her girlfriend, even in-game.

“I guess that’s true,” says Sam, still in the conversation because she’s joined up with the group. “But we can always do the mission next time.”

“You think there’ll be a next time after you pulled this?” Sara spins and lunges, stabbing Nat’s character in the side without warning. At the same time Sara watches her own Lexa drop to her knees, a timely attack from Ava cutting her down.

“Shit,” says Ava. “I didn’t-”

“It’s fine, you fucking up is predictable.” Sara twists the blade she’s holding before her screen fades to the death symbol. She wonders, briefly, where she’ll respawn.

“I do think you’ll invite us again,” says Psyche. She must be fighting Ava, judging by the sounds coming through Sara’s headphones. “But we’re playing LoA next. Alternating, right?”

“Damn straight,” says Sara.

“Psyche, we should stop and do the mission before they can meet us from their respawn points,” says Ava.

“Fuck that,” says Nat. “Plus the hour’s almost up. You don’t have time.”

“I could stay on for such sweet revenge,” says Ava.

“Maybe you can,” says Psyche, “but I can’t.”

Ava sighs as Sara takes in her new surroundings. Ironically she’s up near the building where they got the vials.

“Fine. Just kill me so we can all get out of here.”

Sara looks down at the comments section to note that only a few people are complaining that she and Ava didn’t answer the question about whether or not they're dating. Most are taking about the fight and thanking the group for playing. That’s fine with Sara. “Next week?” Sara knows the answer.

“Next week,” all of the other players say. It’s their agreed upon signoff.

“Thanks for watching,” says Ava. “And be sure to subscribe to all of our channels. Links below.”

Sara pulls the headset off in time to hear something behind her outside the game. She sits back and raises her hands, sighing as Ava comes to wrap her arms around Sara from above and behind, over the top of the chair. “Hey killer,” says Ava. “Gave up quite a bit to take down Nat instead of me.”

“I’d rather kill a thousand Nats than you once.” Sara says it in a sappy voice, her tone high pitched and accompanied by an exaggerated fluttering of her eyelashes.

“Ugh, you’re gross.” Ava leans forward a bit more to drop a kiss onto Sara’s forehead. Ava shifts to let Sara stand and they walk together into the living room. “What do you want to do tonight?”

“Well, I was thinking,” Sara says. She doesn’t finish her sentence, choosing instead to run a hand up Ava’s arm, across her shoulders, then up the opposite side of her neck. She leans in and kisses Ava under her ear, smirking as Ava shifts towards the contact slightly.

“I agree,” says Ava, “we should watch a movie. Something that requires all of our focus. Something intense so we don’t get distracted by anything.”

“I was thinking about being intense,” says Sara. “But without any screens or clothes.”

“Or we could go dancing?” Ava wiggles her eyebrows as they reach the couch. Sara can tell that Ava's thinking seriously about Sara's suggestion even as she plays it off. Her cheeks are too flushed, her voice too husky, to be ignoring it. They sit together, Sara draping one leg over Ava’s knees without thinking about it.

“Hmm, I do love dancing with you,” Sara says. Ava strokes Sara's calf, soft motions that make her skin feel like she's already dancing.

“We could invite Gideon and Zari?” Ava leans towards Sara and presses a kiss to her lips. The contact doesn’t linger but Sara feels a pull from somewhere that feels serious and honest. She knows what that pull is, even if she’s not ready to put a word to it yet.

It’s the start of something greater. Something long lasting and fulfilling.

“No,” says Sara. “I want to focus on you tonight.”

Ava gives a real smile at that, one that makes Sara want to let the something grow. “I could be down with spending time alone with you. Still, want to dance first?”

Sara pulls her cellphone from her pocket and uses a thumb to open Spotify. She pauses it before her last playlist can start, furrowing her eyebrows as she searches. With a glance to Ava she presses the screen, placing the phone on the coffee table. Her foot comes off Ava's lap as she thinks about spinning her girlfriend to a slow song.

"Dance with me?" Ava asks the question. Sara loves the give and take of power in their relationship, the jockeying for position with every interaction. It makes her feel quick, forceful, wanted. Sara knows that Ava wants to see her girlfriend come undone at her hand too. And to come undone is both a victory and an admittance of trust.

"Every day, if you ask." Sara reaches for Ava's hand and they come together in a swing rhythm, using their affection and knowledge of one another to begin moving to the music. Both natural and practiced.

Sara leans towards Ava and they share another kiss. Sara allows her thoughts and emotions to tune into her girlfriend. She feels the joy and peace Ava gives without question, the calm order a welcome balm to Sara’s chaos. She knows, in that moment, that whatever she and Ava decide to do with their night, with their lives, they will be fine. Happy and fine, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow friends, we've reached the end! I hope you like the story in its entirety. Thank you for all of the support, comments, and kudos along the way. This has been a blast to work on, and getting interaction has been so fantastic and affirming. :-)
> 
> Take care, be safe, wash your hands, and happy reading to wherever you find yourself next!
> 
> Erin

**Author's Note:**

> This is a silly idea that I thought would be fun to write. If I make mistakes please know that they are my own, and I am sorry.
> 
> Will update every 2-3 days, depending on how the writing goes. If my schedule changes I'll address it here.
> 
> Follow me-  
> Twitter: @TheyAWriter (for gay, writer-ish, liberal shit)  
> Instagram: ejfay (for mostly pictures of my cat)
> 
> <3


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